Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

December 1^st, 1760

            Carmilla double checked her outfit in the mirror and straightened her shirt collar. This was going to the party of the century. Everyone who was anyone in the city was here and she was going to use it to take a step forward in the kingdom.

            “Mircalla,” she heard her name said timidly as Perry entered the door. “Your mother is waiting for you downstairs as well as your guests.”

            “They’ve been waiting for me for the past hour and they can wait a little longer,” Carmilla retorted. “It takes more than a few minutes for the future Queen of Silas to be ready for a party such as this.”

            “Of course, your highness but your mother is fuming.”

            “Well, she’s the one who taught me that a queen a never late. Everyone else is simply early.”

            “May I remind you that you’re not the queen yet,” she heard another cold voice say.

            Carmilla turned around and stared into the cold, hard eyes of her stepmother.

            “And may I remind you that you will never be,” Carmilla sneered back.

            Perry shivered at the tension in the room.

            “Your highness I will await you outside,” Perry turned around and found her path block by the Queen. “Your majesty.”

            Perry bowed at Carmilla’s stepmother and then exited the room.

            “You’ll never earn your kingdom’s respect if you keep showing up late to your own affairs,” her stepmother said calmly.

            “I’m their future Queen,” Carmilla said as she approached her stepmother. “They will respect me whether they like it or not. I don’t care what I have to do, but the kingdom will be mine.”

            The Queen smiled at her.

            “Now that’s an attitude that I like, but that’s no way to treat your mother.”

            “Step-mother,” Carmilla sneered.

            “Mother none-the-less,” her mother stroked her hair. “I raised you after your father died. No one else was there except for me.”

            Carmilla looked at the ground. It was true. Everyone around seemed to retreat away from her after her father died. No one wanted to talk to her. No one ever tried to comfort her. Her stepmother had raised her as her own. She had taught Carmilla everything that she needed to know about ruling a kingdom. It would all be hers soon. She smirked at the thought.

            She had been waiting for so long to finally sit on the throne that was once her father’s. It had been so long since she dreamed of finally taking over the land and taking everything the land had to offer. Taking everything the people had until she had it all.

            Her stepmother had taught her that in order to rule the people must fear her and learn to respect her through that. They wouldn’t bow down unless they were afraid. They wouldn’t respect her unless she had it all and the neighboring kingdoms wouldn’t respect her unless she had her fortune on display at her parties.

            This is what her stepmother had taught her, and she would make her proud.

            “Yes Mother,” Carmilla said towards the ground.

            She felt cold hands tilt her chin upwards.

            “Did I raise you to stare at the ground?”

            “No Mother,” Carmilla said as she looked into her eyes. There was nothing there. Her stepmother’s eyes were cold and dark.

            “No straighten up and remember that you are the future queen of Silas. Go in there and make me proud.”

            “Yes Mother,” Carmilla straightened her back. “I will make you proud.”

            Without another look at her stepmother, she turned towards the door ready to welcome her party guests and make some good, lasting impressions on those who came from the surrounding kingdoms.

            “Mircalla, your highness,” Perry exclaimed as Carmilla swept through the door. “Are you ready?”

            “Let’s get this over with,” Carmilla sighed.

            The grand staircase was just as impressive as the rest of the castle. The staircase was lined with golden rails and the carpet was made of the most expensive silk that money could buy. The marble was polished and white. The pillars were lined with gold carvings of different leaves and animals that Carmilla loved.

Carmilla made sure that everything was cleaned and pristine before her guests had arrived. She was about to tell LaFontaine that she was ready for her arrival until she heard someone coming barreling down the hallway behind her.

“Mircalla!” Will shouted. “Wait for me sis!”

“William,” Carmilla said calmly. “No need to run. What is it you want?”

“Well,” Will said shyly. “I was hoping that this time I could walk down with you? Remember, you promised me that you would let me one day. I am a prince after all.”

Carmilla smiled at him. She really cared for him, but he could never understand the pressures of trying to become the ruler of kingdom. Many of her people thought that Will should be the ruler of their kingdom and not Carmilla. She wouldn’t allow that. Not only did she not want to give up the throne and keep the fame and fortune, she wouldn’t want that kind of pressure on Will’s shoulders.

“Not today William,” Carmilla shook her head. “Perhaps the next party after the coronation. Go downstairs and join the party before I head down there.”

“Mircalla,” Will whined.

“Not today Will,” she gritted through her teeth. She didn’t need to seem weak at these parties. She needed to show strength and that she didn’t need a man by her side in order to rule the kingdom.

Will visibly shrunk slightly and without another word, turned and headed down one of the other staircases to the party.

Carmilla plastered on a fake smile, patted down her pants once more and adjusted her tie once more.

            This was to be the party of the century.

            “LaFontaine,” Carmilla spoke strongly and nodded at them.

            LaFontaine went down to the top left of the grand staircase and waved at the trumpeter on the right of the staircase.

            The sound of the trumpet filled the room and everyone fell quiet.

            “Please welcome, your highness, Princess Mircalla Karnstein,” LaFontaine shouted through the room.

            Carmilla stepped into everyone’s view and the room was filled with polite claps and whispers.

            Back straight and head high, she slowly walked down the stairs all eyes on her. She walked with the grace of royalty just as her mother had taught her. Every person in this room was a subject of hers and lower than her.

            She mentally laughed at the idea of someone lower than a duke or duchess entering through these doors other than her own servants. Not only would she never allow it, Mother would lose her head. She couldn’t have such dirt entering her beautiful castle.

            Carmilla almost reached the bottle of the stairs before she stopped, looking around at all of her guests.

            “Welcome everyone,” Carmilla spoke loudly. “I am very happy that you all were able to make it tonight. It shows the support you all have for this kingdom and for me. With that, please enjoy the festivities tonight.”

            She finished her walk down the stairs and everyone had resumed to their previous activities before her arrival.

            “Your highness,” she heard someone say behind her.

            Carmilla turned around and saw a man behind her. She read him like a book. This wasn’t someone of royalty. He couldn’t stand up straight, his clothes were obviously too big for him and not tailored to his size. His speech had an inflection of slightly relaxedness like he had never spoken to royalty ever before.

            She shook her head disgusted at the sight of him. How did he get in here?

            “Sorry to bother you-“

            “Who are you?” Carmilla interrupted with venom in her voice.

            “Duke Carlson of York,” he said, hands shaking and obviously lying.

            Carmilla made eye contact with one of her guards and subtly waved at them to make their way over to you.

            “I’ve never heard of you,” Carmilla lowered her voice so that no one around her could hear. “And I’ve heard of all my guests.”

            There was fear in his eyes as Carmilla locked eyes with him and stared him down.

            The guards were now closed in on the man.

            “Now, I don’t want to make a scene, so I’ll make you a deal,” Carmilla whispered into his ear. “Leave with my guards quietly and I will give you a minute of my time. Make a scene… and well, I will have no choice but to make an example of what happens when someone enters my castle without permission.”

            The man nodded without a sound, too scared to even say a word.

            Carmilla stepped back as the guards escorted the man quietly out the door. She waited a few minutes before following them.

            She felt the cold air hit her face as she stepped out and immediately saw the guards placing the man into a caged carriage.

            “Your highness!” he yelled desperately. “Please! You said you would hear me out!”

            Carmilla shook her head. If he thought that the future Queen was going to talk to lowly peasant in the middle of her party, he was incredibly wrong.

            She waved her hand and the carriage started moving away.

            “Please, your highness,” the man was yelling out the carriage. “There are starving families in your kingdom! They can barely afford to pay the taxes and buy food!”

            Carmilla turned around to head back to the party. If the people of her kingdom couldn’t keep up with her taxes, then that was their own fault. High taxes were the price of having a great kingdom and being able to impress the other kingdoms.

            She needed it to keep up with her lavish lifestyle and able to throw parties like this one to gain the trust of other kings.

            There was no notice of her absence as she reentered the party. Maybe except one person. She looked up at the top of the grand staircase and saw Mother watching over her from the shadows.

            Carmilla shook her head at herself. She would talk to Mother later.

            “Late as always, your highness,” she heard a familiar voice say.

            Carmilla turned around and saw a familiar beautiful girl in her view.

            “Duchess Sheridan,” Carmilla nodded as Elle bowed to her. “Are you enjoying the evening?”

            “Mmmm,” Elle sighed as she closed the space in between them. “It could get better.”

            Carmilla took a step back.

            “Not now Elle,” Carmilla spoke lowly.

            Elle was from one of the neighboring kingdoms and was one of the nieces to their current king. They had been friends since childhood. They occasionally enjoyed each other’s company as more than friends, but that was behind closed doors. She knew that Elle had feelings for her, but Carmilla had been clear that even if she did reciprocate those feelings, there was no way she could even act on those feelings. Not now anyways.

            Mother had warned her that she couldn’t even have a thought of trying to find love as long as she was to rule the kingdom. Feelings and love were weakness and weakness that she couldn’t afford with everyone already having mixed feelings of a woman as sole ruler. All of her focus had to be on the gaining power and ruling her kingdom.

            “What’s one dance, your highness?” Elle pleaded with her.

            Carmilla sighed. She hadn’t even talked to single important person before Elle was trying to steal her away.

            “Do you really want to talk to stuffy dukes instead of dancing with me?” Elle repeated her plea and reached out with her hand.

            “I suppose they’ve waited already, and they can wait a little longer,” Carmilla sighed but refused to take Elle’s hand until they reached the dance floor.

            Carmilla turned to the orchestra and with a wave of her hand ordered them to change the tune to a classic waltz.

            With Elle’s hand in hers, Carmilla positioned her right hand in the air and then reached down to hold her waist with her left as Elle reached up and placed her left hand on Carmilla’s shoulder.

            Carmilla had been taught to waltz since she was old enough to understand what a waltz was. Their bodies were flush together as she used her arms to lead Elle into the dance. Their bodies were in sync with one another. Carmilla could feel that rest of the room fall away as she listened to the sweet sound of the classic waltz.

            She had done this with Elle a lot when they were kids, but only twice in public. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that she was a child again before all the responsibility and the lessons that Mother had given her.

            However, reality was different.

            Suddenly, there was a shift in the air. It became colder and the room grew quiet as everyone felt it.

            Carmilla stopped dancing and let go of Elle was she started towards her throne. She didn’t know why, but she had to reach it. Something was in danger of taking it all. Something was trying to come and take everything that she had worked so hard for.

            The grand doors blew open and Carmilla watched as someone in old rags stumble through the door.

            There was an audible gasp as the wind blew out all the candles in the castle. Then the castle fell silent.

            Carmilla launched herself forward towards the door, approaching the stranger with caution. She felt Will with his sword appear at her side, but she placed her arm in front of him, telling him to back off. She couldn’t show weakness, she couldn’t show that she needed his help.

            Reluctantly, he complied.

            “How dare you interrupt my party without an invitation,” Carmilla sneered at the woman. “Guards!”

            The stranger raised their head. It was an old woman wrapped in cloth, shivering from the cold. She smelled of dirt and sweat and shit. Carmilla had to steel herself from wanting to throw this woman out herself.

            “Your highness,” the old woman spoke softly. “Please, I was on a trip back to town from the country. It is cold out there and I haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday. If I could have some food and perhaps wait out the storm, I could be on my way. I even brought you a gift in return.”

            The old woman raised her hand to reveal one little rose.

            Carmilla smiled cruelly.

            “You think I would let a peasant like you in this castle? You think that I would accept this little pathetic rose in exchange for a night with the pleasantries and expenses of royalty?”

            Carmilla started laughing and the rest of the crowd followed.

            “Please, your highness,” the woman spoke again. “You should not be deceived by looks your highness because true beauty is found within.”

            “Your pathetic, begging in front of royalty like this,” Carmilla snarled at her. “You could never live up to the standards to be here and I would never accept someone like you in this castle. Your stench is so off putting I thought that you belonged with the pigs.”

            The crowd roared in laughter as she turned around to let her guards handle the woman.

            “I come here in humbleness, your highness and I am met with hostility and cruelty?” her voice was suddenly stronger and less frail.

            Carmilla quickly turned around in confusion.

            “I see you for who you really are Mircalla Karnstein,” the woman spoke, her voice echoing throughout the room.

            The woman raised her head, the ragged cloak falling from her body. As she stood up, she revealed herself to be a young, beautiful woman, her glow filling the entire room.

            Carmilla’s eyes were wide. This woman was something beautiful and incredibly powerful. She fell to her knees.

            “I see no love in your heart Mircalla Karnstein,” the enchantress spoke to her. “Turning away poor and starving people? Taking advantage of them to further your own, selfish endeavors? You may have the beauty and grace of a future queen, but in your heart, you are a beast.”

            “I am so sorry,” Carmilla begged on her knees. “I am not a beast. You can stay here. You can stay here as long as you want, feast on whatever you please.”

            “It is too late,” the enchantress spoke. “Your father would be disappointed.”

            With a wave of her hand, Carmilla felt something in her stomach turn. All the doors and all the windows shut with a force that shook the entire castle. That’s when the fire started. Huge flames erupted on each of the columns.

            Everyone started running to the doors and windows, banging on them to open.

            Fire and smoke started filling the room. Carmilla couldn’t move. The fire spread quickly, people were screaming. Carmilla couldn’t believe her eyes. Instead of the people burning up, they were shrinking, changing into something that Carmilla couldn’t see. Soon, there was nothing but fire surrounding her.

            She felt her lungs filling with smoke, her throat burning like a furnace. Except, the fire wouldn’t touch her. The fire surrounded her, but there was circle surrounding her that the fire wouldn’t pass.

            Carmilla roared in anger and frustration, but it sounded more animal like. She couldn’t believe what had just come out of her mouth.

            She started feeling cold and it felt like she was losing oxygen. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see anything, but fire.

            When Carmilla looked up from the ground, the enchantress was suddenly right in front of her, fire in her eyes.

            “Until you learn that true beauty comes from within and learn to become as beautiful on the inside as you were on the outside you will stay a beast to remain in these castle walls forever. If you do not learn to love another- and be loved in return- by the time the last petal falls, you, your castle, and all within, will be cursed and forgotten forever.”

            “How long?” Carmilla croaked.

            “As long as the rose deems necessary,” the enchantress answered.

            Then everything went black.

---------

            Carmilla woke up on the floor of her grand ballroom, recalling the events of last night. She couldn’t find the energy to get up. She felt cold and alone. Her throat was still burning like a furnace. She was thirsty, hungry… for something.

            “I think she’s finally waking,” she heard a voice in a hushed whisper.

            “Shhhh…” she heard another voice say. “We don’t want to startle her.”

            “Startle her? I think she’ll be startled by herself and how do you think I felt when I woke up and all of a sudden everything was much larger than I remember and now… I’m this!”

            Carmilla recognized the second voice as her handmaiden Perry. They were absolutely awful at whispering.

            “Would you shut your imbecilic mouth?” Carmilla growled. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

            “Can she hear us?” Perry panicked.

            “Yes,” Carmilla growled again.

            Finally, she felt the urge to get up from the floor. If Mother caught her like this, she would surely be getting a lecture on it.

            As she picked herself up, her arms and hands came into her eyesight. She jumped and fell back on her ass in fright and surprise. What had she just seen?

            Carmilla closed her eyes for a moment, this was just a dream. This couldn’t be real, she thought as she slowly raised her arms and hands in front of her with her eyes closed.

            She slowly opened them and gasped at the sight in front of her.

            Her arms and hands were covered with black veins, her hands were grossly boney and instead of fingernails, there were short, black, sharp claws.

            Carmilla quickly got up and found the nearest mirror in the ballroom.

            Half of her face looked like it had been burnt in the fire. Her pupils were the only normal thing on her face- her dark brown eyes, but they were surrounded by black veins coming from her eyes.

She felt something poking in her mouth and opened it to reveal sharp fangs coming down from her teeth.

It seemed that what was ever going on with her face was the same as what was going on with her body. Half of her body had looked like it had been burned in the fire with black veins unnaturally popping out all over.

Carmilla roared with anger. It wasn’t any natural sound that a human could make. It was animalistic and loud. It burned her throat and it made her even angrier. When she looked back upon the mirror, her eyes had turned an unnatural shade of bright red.

With all of her anger, she threw her fist into the mirror, effectively breaking it and even punching a large hole in the wall behind her.

She turned away from the mirror to be faced with a portrait of her family- her, her father, her mother and her brother. The only thing Carmilla could see was herself and how everything she had changed in a day. She was the most beautiful girl in the kingdom yesterday and now… Now she was a monster.

Carmilla reached up and scratched away herself on the portrait. Then observed the rest of the family. Her father had died when she was young and was the most loving person she had ever known. Her brother was a carefree, young child that was youthful and loving towards Carmilla. Her mother… Her mother had been cruel and mean to her. Her mother had turned Carmilla into her.

She roared once again and scratched her mother’s face on the portrait.

The enchantress had turned her into a beast.

Carmilla crumpled to the floor, trying the best she could to ignore the sandpaper and furnace in her throat. That’s when she saw the rose on the floor across from her.

It had been untouched in the fire. It was glowing blue and levitating from the ground.

Carmilla remember that the enchantress had mentioned something about the rose last night during the fire.

If you do not learn to love another- and be loved in return- by the time the last petal falls, you, your castle, and all within, will be cursed and forgotten forever.

            She had to find someone to fall in love with and fall in love with her before all the petals fell on the rose.

            Carmilla had just noticed the mirror on the floor next to her. She looked at her appearance again the mirror. How could someone fall in love with her when she looked like this?

            “Well,” she heard a voice in a hushed whisper. “I think she just figured out what happened.”

            “LaFontaine, she’s going to need some time. We shouldn’t show her ourselves just yet.”

            Carmilla growled at the sound of the voices and was about to address them when the smell of something sweet hit her nose.

            Her throat burned even more. She was… thirsty? Hungry? Whatever it was, she was craving the smell that had hit her nose.

            The mirror fell to the floor as she dropped it, trying to follow the scent of the sweet, sweet smell.

            It was coming from outside. Carmilla opened the door and saw that it was still snowing like last night. The sun blared in her eyes, it was so bright that she hissed at it and then retreated back into the shadow of the castle.

            While the sun was bothering her, the burning in her throat was starting to bother her more.

            Bracing for the sun, she opened the doors again using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. It seemed to make things a little bit better. It still felt like the sun was burning her eyes, but the sweet smell was calling to her. The wind whipped in her hair and she expected to feel cold, but she didn’t feel anything at all.

            There was something new to castle that Carmilla had noticed as she followed the smell. Large rose bushes were surrounding the castle. That must’ve been something that the enchantress had put there as another way to remind Carmilla of the curse. Like she would need reminding. Her appearance was reminder enough.

            The smell had led her to a small garden that was surrounded by more rose bushes. A bench sat on the east side of the garden with a large fountain in the middle.

            Carmilla recognized the smell coming from the fountain. It was a sweet, sweet smell that was calling to her with the promise of quenching her thirst- hunger- whatever it was.

            She believed that it was just some kind of special water that she was craving, but as she approached the fountain it was something much, much different.

            Red, thick liquid was pouring from the fountain. Carmilla reached the edge of the fountain as her throat started burning immensely. No. There was no way that she was going to drink that. If it was, was she thought it was then there was no way that she was going to touch that stuff.

            However, she wouldn’t know what it was until she tried it. No, no, no. She couldn’t do it. Disgusted with herself, she turned her head away from the fountain.

            The sweet smell filled her nose, her throat and her lungs. Her hunger was growing more intense the more she tried to ignore it.

            Carmilla wanted to run away and ignore it forever, but she couldn’t move. Her mind was telling her not to look at, not to touch the stuff, but her body was telling her the opposite.

            She clenched her teeth together and roared, losing control of herself. Her body turned towards the fountain, dipping her mouth into it and quickly lapping it into her mouth.

            It was so sweet, so good and it was seriously quenching her hunger.

            Carmilla kept drinking until she felt full. She finally realized what she had done and her suspicions about the substance were confirmed. While it tasted sweet to her, there was a metallic hint to it. Blood. It was blood.

            She wanted to throw up, she was degusted with herself, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that. While it was disgusting in her mind, her body had responded very nicely to it. Perhaps this was a part of the curse.

            Then she noticed something on the fountain that she hadn’t seen before. There was an inscription on the side of the fountain.

            Here pours the blood of those dying for the love of others

            Carmilla had no idea what it meant, but it made her feel awfully guilty.

            The sun was now hidden behind heavy clouds, making it easier for Carmilla to be outside. She sat down on the bench in the garden, burying her head in her hands.

            “Mircalla,” she heard a familiar voice say. “I’m glad you’re finally awake now.”

            Carmilla buried her head further into her hands.

            “Go away Will,” she said on the verge of crying. “Don’t look at me. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

            “I’ve already seen what you look like while you were passed out Mircalla,” Will responded. “Besides, you haven’t seen me yet.”

            She swore that there was a bit of a chuckle in Will’s voice and decided to release her hands from her face and looked up, but didn’t see a person in sight.

            “I’m down here dear sister,” Will sighed.

            Carmilla looked down at the ground and saw a walking and talking mantel clock.

            “Oh my god!” Carmilla shouted.

            “Hey there sister,” Will smiled. At least it looked like there was a smile on the clock.

            “You-y-you’re a-a clock,” Carmilla stuttered.

            “It seems that I am,” Will replied. “And it seems that you are… something else dear sister. I didn’t mean to spy on you, but I wanted to check on you when you woke up. A little shocking for everyone when we woke up.”

            “Everyone?” Carmilla asked.

            “Everyone who lived in the castle.”

            Carmilla buried her hands back in her head. She was a beast and everyone else in the castle turned into something else.

            … you, your castle, and all within, will be cursed and forgotten forever…             

If she thought she could never be loved when she first woke up, there was no doubt in her mind that no one could love her now.

Chapter Text

April 15^th, 2020

            Laura groaned as she heard the sound of her alarm go off. She slowly rolled over and turned it off, checking the time. It was 7:30 am. Maybe she could sleep for a few more minutes…

            Then her phone started ringing.

            She picked up to see that Danny was giving her a call.

            “Hey Danny,” Laura mumbled into the phone.

            “Laura,” Danny said. “Are you up? Just wondering if you wanted to grab some coffee really quick before you headed to class.”

            Laura rechecked the clock. She might have time to grab a quick coffee if she skipped her shower, but after the night she had last night, she really needed one. She was up all night trying to finish her public relations essay that was due today.

            She knew that she shouldn’t have procrastinated on it, but she had prioritized her other classes over that one.

            “I’m sorry Danny,” Laura replied. “I really have to get going today.”

            “Right,” Danny said. Laura could hear the disappointment in her voice.

            “But maybe we can grab it after my public relations class,” Laura tried to sound more enthusiastic.

            “That could work,” Danny said happily. “It’d have to be quick though, I have a Summer Society lunch thing that I have to go to.”

            “Sure, I’ll see you then.”

            “Sounds good! Can’t wait!”

            Laura hung up the phone and sighed. She knew that Danny had feelings for her, but it just wasn’t something that Laura reciprocated.

            They’d been friends since Danny had been her English Lit TA freshman year at Silas University. Laura had a huge crush on her then. Unfortunately, at that time Danny had been completely oblivious to Laura’s feelings, so Laura opted to just being friends.

            Somewhere in between then and know, Laura had really gotten to know Danny and knew that they couldn’t be much more than friends. Sure, she was an attractive woman, but there were little things, signs that she had seen over the last year that Laura just wasn’t romantically attracted to. By the time that Danny had come around to realize that Laura could be more than just a friend to her, it was too late.

            They had yet to talk about any of it and Laura really did not want to have that conversation with her. It was inevitable though.

            After a nice, long, hot shower Laura quickly threw on a pair of jeans and her blue blouse. She didn’t realize how much time she had wasted in the shower.

            She threw her laptop and books into her bag, grabbed a cookie from the pantry and headed out the door.

            “Mr. Jean,” Laura exclaimed as she almost ran into her next door neighbor. “Good morning.”

            “Hey there Laura,” he replied politely as he rummaged through his pockets, grocery bags on the ground.

            “Are you okay there? Have you lost something?”

            “Yes,” he laughed. “I believe I have. I just can’t seem to remember what!”

            Laura smiled and chuckled a little bit.

            “I’m sure it will come to you.”

            Laura reached for the doorway to the stairs.

            “Where you off too?”

            “I have my public relations class this morning,” Laura said hurriedly. She really had to get going if she was going to get to class on time, but she didn’t want to be rude to her neighbor.

            “Sounds boring,” Mr. Jean chuckled as Laura ran out the door.

            The university was only about a mile away from Laura’s apartment.

            Her pace was quick, but she still liked to take time to take in the town and it’s surrounding as she walked to class.

            Silas was a nice town. It was small and quaint to Laura’s liking. She grew up here and she had planned on getting out as soon as she graduated high school, but unfortunately, her father couldn’t afford any other college that was out of town. Silas was the only college that offered her scholarship help which really helped her out.

            However, Silas was also very weird. Sometimes she would catch people talking in strange accents and acting as if they were still living in the 1700s. There were people around her that she had known for most of her life that never seemed to change. They stuck to their same routines, same schedules and the weirdest of all was that they also never seemed to change physically.

            Her current public relations professor, Dr. Cochrane had been in town as long as she had known and still looked like she was in her 70’s today as she did when Laura was in middle school.

            It seemed that that same group of people never had any desire to get out the town either. Laura wanted to explore and see the world as soon as she could, but others thought that the idea was ridiculous, and that Silas was all they ever needed to see.

            Laura couldn’t understand that. She knew that there had to be more out there for her. She wanted to research journalism topics around the world, discover things and share them with the world.

             Most of the people in the town thought the idea was so ridiculous they thought that Laura was the weird one for wanting leave. She didn’t have many friends here. Mostly, she just stuck to herself and her studies with an occasional friend here and there, but none of them really stuck. Besides Danny, of course. That was the longest friendship that she had.

            “Hey there Laura,” she heard Mrs. Miller call. “Off to class?”

            “Yes ma’am,” she replied walking towards the woman with a stroller. “How are your kids?”

            “They’re little Tasmanian devils as usual,” she laughed. “They want to sleep all day and play all night.”

            Laura chuckled a little bit.

            “Have a good day, dear.”

            “You too!”

            “What a funny girl,” Mrs. Miller said under her breath to her child not knowing that Laura could hear it.

            Laura had arrived to class just in time to place her essay on the teacher’s desk and then find her seat.

            Class had gone by a lot slower than Laura would have liked. She was having trouble focusing on Dr. Cochrane’s lecture as she pulled up Pinterest and started looking for all the places she planned to explore as she soon as she graduated college.

            Paris. That was the one place she really wanted to visit. Not only was it a beautiful city, it was where her mother had met her father, began their romance and fell in love. Since she never really knew her mother either, she thought that would really help her feel more connected to her.

            Once class was over, Laura checked her phone and saw that she had a few unread text messages from Danny.

            Danny (8:32 am): Lmk when you’re out of class.

            Danny (8:47 am): Hey, which coffee shop works best for you?

            Danny (8:56 am): I’ll be at the coffee shop by the library. Want me to order something for you?

            Laura sent a quick reply saying that she was on her way and that it was fine, she’ll just order something when she gets there. She wasn’t in any hurry so there was no need to worry about Danny paying for her coffee.

            The coffee shop by the library was perfect, it would give her time to pick up some books that she had been wanted to read before her next class.

            Books was one of her ways of escaping Silas. Laura felt that reading a book could transport her to another place in the world. She tried to explain that to Danny once and she kind enough to try and understand it, but she couldn’t hide the look on her face that made Laura feel like she was a little crazy. Laura never brought it up again.

            Speaking of Danny, she had thought to herself. She looked through the coffee shop window and saw the tall redhead sitting at one the tables, checking her phone with a coffee in hand. Laura sighed and headed into the coffee shop

----------          

            Danny saw that Laura had just responded to her text messages and was on her way. It made a big smile appear on her face.

            Laura. God, she was something else. She was the most beautiful girl in Silas and Danny had been waiting for the right opportunity to ask her out on a date.

            “Someone got a text from Laura,” Mel said.

            “I can’t help it,” Danny replied. “She’s really something else. She’s different from everyone else around her. It makes her the best.”

            “Everyone knows that Laura is different from everyone else around here,” Mel waved her hand. “But, it is kind of weird. She’s so well-read and you’re so… Athletically inclined.”

            “I know,” Danny said with a frown. “Laura can be as argumentative as she is beautiful. There is a reason she wants to be a journalism major. She wants to discover new things and uncover controversial stories.”

            “So, who needs her when you’ve got me and the Summer Society?”

            “Yes,” Danny sighed. “But I feel like there is something missing in my life. Ever since I gained the Summer Society Presidency I feel like I have it all now. I have good grades, good friends, I’m the leader of the Summer Society… But I don’t have anyone to share it with. Laura… Laura is the only one that gives me a sense of… je me sais quoi.”

            “I don’t know what that means.”

            “When I first met her, I thought that she was so cute and gorgeous, but I didn’t really think that I was looking for something at the time. Then one day, it just occurred to me that we would be so prefect together. She’s attractive. I’m attractive. She’s the like one of the only people in this city that is different. I really like her.”

            “That’s great Danny,” Mel tried to sound hopeful, but there was hint of disappointment that Danny didn’t catch.

            Danny sipped on her coffee and rechecked her phone to see if Laura had sent her any more texts, but there was nothing.

            “Hi Danny,” Danny turned her head in hopes to see Laura, but it was someone else. “I’m Tessa and I believe that we have Advanced English Lit together.”

            “It’s nice to meet you Tessa, what can I do for you?”

            “Well,” Tessa blushed. “I was just wondering if you and your friend here wanted to join me and my friend for coffee. We have two extra seats that we expected to fill, but they bailed on account of studying.”

            Danny flash a smile at her and watched Tessa blush some more.

            “I would really love to Tessa, but I’m waiting for someone right now.”

            “That’s too bad,” Tessa grabbed a piece of paper out of her pocket and placed it in front of Danny. “If you change your mind or want to grab coffee some other time, here’s my number.”

            “Not gonna happen,” Mel fake coughed into her arm.

            A flash of anger and disappointment flew across Tessa’s face, but she smiled at Danny one more time and returned to her table.

            “Speaking of waiting, Laura should be here soon,” Danny looked up at Mel.

            “I guess, that’s the cue to leave,” Mel stood up. “I’ll see you later at the Summer Society meeting?”

            “Of course, I wouldn’t miss it. I might be later to shooting practice later though, could you grab my shotgun out of our safe and bring it to the range later?”

            Mel nodded.

            “Thanks Mel.”

            Mel exited the coffee shop and Danny looked at her phone again. There were still no other texts from Laura. Danny knew that if she wasn’t coming, Laura would’ve at least texted her that she wasn’t going to make it.

            The coffee shop door rang again and Danny looked up to see Laura finally entering.

            “Hey Laura,” Danny smiled at her.

            “Hi Danny,” Laura smiled back. “Let me just order my coffee and then I’ll join you.”

            “Of course.”

            Danny continued to sip on her coffee and pretend to be looking at something on her phone as Laura waited in line to order.

            Laura finally ordered her coffee and sat down across from Danny.

            “Let me guess, iced vanilla latte with extra vanilla and extra sugar?” Danny chuckled.

            “No,” Laura laughed. “I order a chocolate cookie crumble frappuccino with extra crumble.”

            Danny laughed.

            “Sounds like you.”

            Laura’s phone buzzed and Danny caught a picture of the Eiffel tower as her background for her lock screen.

            “Paris?” Danny asked as she pointed to Laura’s phone.

            “Yes,” Laura sighed. “Have you ever been there?”

            “No, not that city in particular, but I have heard wonderful things about it. However, you know… I don’t really have too much interest in traveling.”

            “Why not? There is so much more of the world out there than just Silas itself. Paris is just one of the stops I want to make. In fact, it’s just one of the stops that I want to make in France. There’s also a lot of other countries too and continents. Europe, Asia, Australia…”

            Danny was trying her hardest to be interested in what Laura was saying, but she had no interest to travel. Silas was home and she didn’t need to travel the world to know that.

            “My father said that if he can, he’ll try to come to some of the cities with me,” Laura continued. “I’m not sure if he’ll ever get the chance though. He’s getting older and by the time I graduate and get enough money to get out of here, I don’t know if he’ll be in the kind of shape to travel with me.”

            “Why do you want to travel so bad?” Danny asked.

            Laura made eye contact with her.

            “There is so much more out there than just this city Danny, aren’t you at all curious to see what that is? I’ve seen so many pictures of beautiful mountains and lakes and people who I bet all have an interesting story to tell. Not that Silas is boring… But Silas is kind of boring. Everyone here has the same story and there’s never really anything interesting happening.”

            “There are plenty of mountains and lakes around here,” Danny countered.

            “You’re not wrong, but like I said, everyone around here has the same story. They grew up here, work here and plan to die here.”

            “I guess,” Danny sighed. She was losing interest in this conversation.

            Danny heard Laura’s name get called for her coffee.

            “I can get it,” Danny said quickly and hopped up from her chair, flashed a quick smile at the barista and sat back down handing Laura her sugary drink.

            “Thanks.”

“How’s your father?”

            Laura’s smile faltered a little bit.

            “He’s alright, overprotective as always. I’m planning on seeing him for dinner tonight since I don’t have too much work to do after finishing that stupid public relations paper.”

            “Oh that sounds nice, I haven’t seen your father lately. Mind if I come by and say hi tonight?”

            “Not tonight,” Laura said quickly.

            “Are you both busy or something?” Danny knew that she probably shouldn’t push it, but she really wanted an in with Laura. Danny had talked to her father a few times, but never had the chance to really have a good talk with him.

            “No,” Laura replied as her phone buzzed again.

            Danny was waiting for a further explanation, but never got one as Laura finally looked at her phone.

            “I have to go, Danny,” Laura looked up from her phone.

            “Oh, alright. It was good to see you. Maybe we can do this again sometime. Maybe we could even grab dinner instead.”

            Laura picked up her bag and coffee.

            “Maybe,” Laura smiled, giving Danny some hope. “I’m pretty busy for the rest of the week.”

            “That’s alright, I’ll just shoot you a text next week?”

            “Maybe,” Laura repeated. “Depends on my schedule. I probably won’t be able to do dinner, but maybe we can get coffee again. You’re a good friend Danny. I’ll see you around.”

            Danny internally grimaced at the word “friend” and didn’t get a chance to reply as Laura was already out the door.

            She sighed and checked her phone. She had a text message from Mel.

            Mel (9:33): Hey, the meeting got pushed back to tomorrow. How’d it go with Laura?”

            Danny sighed as she typed out her reply.

            Danny (9:40): Okay. And it didn’t go as well as I thought it would.

            Mel (9:42): So… time to move on? I’m sure Tessa would appreciate a text message from you.

            Danny (9:42): No… I’m sure that she’ll come around soon. I know that she has feelings for me. I think she’s just fighting them. It makes her even more interesting.

            Mel (9:43): You sure about that?

            Danny (9:43): Yes. She’s the only woman I’ve met that hasn’t been forward with me and done things just to try and hang out with me, but she still wants to hang out with me.

            Mel (9:43) So you’re saying that her not being forward makes her more attractive as opposed to those who are?

            Danny (9:44): Exactly.

            Mel (9:44): Sounds like she has some actual dignity.

            Danny (9:45): Yes and it’s so much different and makes her so much more interesting and attractive.

            Mel (9:45): I guess.

            Danny closed her phone and put her phone away. If the meeting was cancelled, she mis well go get some target practice in for the upcoming Summer Society competition.

            “It was nice to meet you Danny.”

            Danny looked up and saw Tessa leaving the shop.

            “I hope to see you around,” Tessa smiled and left the shop.

            Danny shook her head. Not going to happen.

Chapter Text

            Laura wasn’t sure what to make of the conversation that she had with Danny. She didn’t want to lose Danny as a friend considering that Danny was really the only friend that Laura had right now.

            It went a lot better than she thought it would have. She was just glad that Danny didn’t outright ask Laura on a date. That would have been awkward. She didn’t want to explain to Danny why she didn’t want to date her.

            Danny was just too… full of herself and overprotective. Her father was overprotective enough and she didn’t need that in a girlfriend. She was completely capable of handling herself. Little did Danny know that Laura could handle a gun just as well as she could.

            While Danny was the reigning sharpshooter champion for the Summer Society, Laura’s father had given her a lot of shooting lessons when she was younger after her mother died.

            Her father didn’t like the idea of Laura being able to handle a gun, but he didn’t like the idea of running into trouble one day and not being able to handle one. So he gave her some lessons and then made her carry pepper spray around all the time on her keychain.

            Laura’s other classes hand gone by rather quickly compared to her public relations class. She was really looking forward to seeing her father for dinner. She had skipped the last couple of dinners with him on account of a lot of homework that she had to get done.

            But this time she promised that she would spend the weekend with him to make up for it.

            She wanted to stop by the library really quick to grab a new book before going by her apartment and grabbing some stuff for the weekend.

            “Miss Hollis,” the librarian Baron Vordenberg greeted her. “What can I do for you today?”

            “Hello, sir,” Laura greeted. “I was just looking to return a book and perhaps grab a new one from the older collections.”

            The Baron sighed.

            “I’m afraid that was the last one in the older collections that you had just finished reading. We don’t have a large selection of older books here.”

            Laura frowned.

            “That’s alright, I’ll just return this and browse around. Perhaps one of the newer books will catch my attention.”

            Laura handed the Baron the book she wanted to return.

            “I will for sure let you know if I come across something that you would suit your interest later on.”

            The Baron was always kind to her. He let her borrow a lot of the older books that he wouldn’t normally let any other person borrow.

            She had been coming to library ever since she learned to read. The Baron was also one of those people in the city that never seemed to change.

            Laura smiled and then turned the corner to start searching through all the bookcases, trying to see if there was anything that would interest her.

            After a little while and flipping through some of the books, Laura gave up and decided that she had spent enough time looking. She had to get home soon if she wanted to actually make it in time to eat dinner with her father rather than skipping it and eating dessert instead like they had done the few times that Laura arrived late.

            Her father had waited a few times for Laura, but she insisted that he not do that again and eat dinner without her if she was running that late.

            When she got to her apartment, she quickly threw some clothes and her toothbrush and some other things in a bag before heading to her father’s.

            Her father lived on the edge of town, not too far from the university, but she had decided that it would be better for her studies if she lived within walking distance. He had not been to happy about it at first, but Laura also really wanted to live an independent lifestyle and have him get used to her not being around as much.

            She did visit him as much as possible but knew that if she wanted to travel as much as she did, her father would have to get used to her not being around.

            The drive to her father’s didn’t take too long and it was a pretty drive. Danny was right that Silas had a beautiful scenery. The one memory of her mother that she did have was right at Silas lake.

            She remembered sitting on the beach, making a rock tower as her mother and father sat in their lawn chairs laughing at something that her father had said.

            The lake was beautiful and surrounded by a large forest and mountains. There was this one time that Laura visited and swore that she saw a large tower sticking out from behind one of the mountains. However, every time she went back and tried to look for it again. She couldn’t see it. It must’ve been a trick of the mind.

            There was also another time after her mother’s death that she swore she saw a woman across the lake wearing a black cloak, but her father said that no lived across the lake and that the only way to ever get to the other side of the lake was by boat. The forest was too thick for anyone to try and get through.

            She asked if anyone had ever been to the other side of the lake and as her father thought about it, he replied that no one had. She then asked if they could ever go explore it, but her father dismissed the idea and said that the other side of the lake was full of dangerous creatures that no one had ever wanted to come across.

            As she grew older, she kept asking her father about it, but he insisted that it was too dangerous every time. She tried to ask some other people about it but got the same answer. People thought that she was crazy to want to venture to the other side of the lake.

            Laura shook her head at herself. There was nothing more to Silas than she had already seen. She was just young and curious about the town at the time. Now, she was more interested in what was outside the town rather than what was inside it.

            As she cut the engine in her father’s driveway, she looked up and saw that her father hadn’t greeted her outside like he normally did. He was probably busy inside working on his latest project and lost track of time like he did sometimes.

            Laura opened the door and it was no wonder her father didn’t hear her come in. The house was filled with the sounds the music coming from the record player in her father’s office. It was playing her father’s favorite song. The one he had one over with her mother. She could hear him singing along from his office.

How does a moment last forever

How can a story never die

It is love we must hold on to

Never easy but we try

Sometimes our happiness is captured

Somehow a time and place stand still

Love lives on inside our hearts

And always will

Laura pushed open the door to her father’s office to see him sitting down at his desk, glasses on and tinkering around with one of the old clocks that had been broken since she was little.

Her father spent most of his time working on old broken items that people had brought him to fix. It became his side hobby after he retired from the army after her mother died. He figured that if he was able to fix electronic communication equipment in the field, then he could easily figure out how to fix older things. Needless to say, it was harder than he had thought at first.

            “Oh, Laura,” he said as he looked up from the clock. “I didn’t hear you pull in.”

            “It’s okay Dad,” Laura smiled. “You look busy.”

            “Yes, I think I almost have this one finished.”

            Laura approached the desk and peered at what he was doing.

            “Do you think you could hand me-“

            Laura picked up on the tools in front of her and handed it to him. She had spent plenty of time helping him when she was child to understand what he needed when he was working on a certain part of the clock.

            He looked up at the tool and then looked at Laura. It was like sometimes he had forgotten how much she had grown up.

            “Thank you.”

            He used the tool to put a gear in place and adjust it to the correct setting. Laura looked at what he was doing and knew exactly what he was going to do next. She grabbed one of the other tools in front of her and placed it in front of her father.

            “And then I need…” He looked up at the tool in Laura’s hand.

            “No,” he smiled. “Not that one.”

            Then he looked back at the clock and Laura held back a laugh.

            “Actually, yes. I do need that one,” he said as he took the tool from Laura’s hand and then laughed a little. “Thank you, pumpkin.”

            “Dad,” Laura sighed as she took a seat in one of the chairs across from him. “Do you think that it’s odd that I want to leave Silas?”

            “Odd,” her father asked. “Dear Laura, where did you get that idea?”

            “I don’t know,” Laura sighed again. “People talk and I had coffee with Danny earlier who still thinks that it is weird that I want to leave Silas as soon as I can. It is a small town, you know?”

            “They are also small minded as well,” Her father replied. “But small minded also means safe. So no, I don’t think it’s odd. I think it’s just different from what everyone else in this town thinks.”

            Laura smiled at him as he continued.

            “I knew a girl like you once in Paris who was so… adventurous and different from the people around her. They mocked her until the day they all found themselves imitating her.”

            Laura knew that her father talking about her mother. One of the reasons they settled in Silas was to give Laura time to grow up in a nice town. If she hadn’t been born, then her parents probably would have traveled more. Her father always reminded her though, that she was a blessing to him and her mother and they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Besides, both of their jobs gave them the means to travel. Less than they had liked, but Laura was the the most precious thing in their life and they were happy to give it up for her.

            “Could you please tell me one more thing about her?”

            She could see a smile manifest on her father’s face. It was a comforting smile, but there was also a hint of sadness behind it.

            “You mother was… fearless.”

            “Fearless,” Laura repeated under her breath.

            “So,” Her father got up from his seat. “Dinner? I have it all ready and waiting in the kitchen for you.”

            “That sounds wonderful Dad.”

            “You can tell me all about your week and your classes.”

            Laura got up from her seat and followed her father out to the kitchen.

            He was about to get the plates from the cupboard when Laura reached out and stopped him.

            “I got this, Dad. You already cooked. I can set the table.”

            “If you insist, kid.”

            Her father took his seat at the table as Laura grabbed the plates and utensils and placed them on the table. The food was already out on the table.

            “You talked about grabbing coffee with Danny today. How was that?”

             “It went better than I had expected. She asked me if I wanted to grab dinner sometime next week, but I told her that I was busy and probably couldn’t. I know that she wants to ask me out on a date sometime soon, but I don’t know how to say no without losing her friendship.”

            Her father looked at her waiting for her to continue.

            “You know that I haven’t made a lot of friends here and Danny is the one friend that I’ve this past year that I like being friends with. I mean, if she asked me out like a year ago, I totally would’ve said yes, but after getting to know her this past year, I don’t see how we could work. But, she’s a totally great friend and everything and I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. I just don’t want to date her.”

            “Sounds like you know what to do kid,” her father replied.

            “I know, but it’s not going to be easy.”

            “I have only met Danny a few times, and she seems like a good kid, but I have a feeling about her that she’s not for you kid.”

            “Why?” Laura asked.

            “I don’t know, she just seems… like she doesn’t fit you.”

            “She’s so full of herself dad and just as overprotective as you are,” her eyes flitted to her dad. “No offense. But I can take care of myself.”

            Her father chuckled.

            “I never doubt that you can, I just get worried about you. You know?”

            “Yes Dad, I do.”

            “Okay. What about your classes? How are those going?”

            “They’re going alright. I’m still the top of the class, but I’ve been having a hard time with public relations. I just can’t seem to pay attention in that class. Like, if I want the truth about a story, I feel that pissing someone else off is totally worth it.”

            “Wow kid,” her father chuckled again. “I think you’re going to make a great journalist someday.”

            Laura smiled.

            “Thanks dad.”
            They finished the rest of their meal talking about Laura’s classes and her father telling her about the neighborhood and the few things that he had fixed in the past week. It was comforting to Laura to talk to her father about everything going on.

            The one topic she was avoiding was the idea of travel. It’s not that she didn’t want to talk to him about it, she just knew that her father would give her all sorts of safety talk and what not.

            They were cleaning the dishes when her father’s phone started ringing.

“It’s work,” he said looking at it. “You mind finishing the dishes while I take this?”

            “Of course, dad.”

            He excused himself to his office.

            Laura did the dishes in silence, humming the tune of the song that was playing throughout the house earlier.

            She was wondering what was taking her father so long, so she decided to check on him in his office.

            “… sure it can’t be done later in the week? I was planning on spending time with my daughter this weekend.”

            There was a pause, Laura assumed that the person on the other line was answering.

            “Yea,” he father exasperated. “I understand. I’ll go. I’ll just have to talk to my daughter.”

            Another pause.

            “Okay. Thanks Jack.”

            Her father hung up and phone and looked up at Laura in the doorway.

            “Do you have to go somewhere?” Laura asked.

            “Yea,” her father sighed. “Just for a day. I’ll leave now and be back by this time tomorrow.”

            “That’s alright. What do you have to do?”
            “Jack needs me to go pick up a painting in the next town over. It was one of the ones that was on your mother’s list before she passed. He’s super excited that he found it. Unfortunately, if I don’t pick it up tomorrow morning, they’re going to pass it on to the next buyer. And I wouldn’t go, but…”

            “It was a part of mother’s collection.”

            “Yes,” her father gave her a sad smile. “She left a list of things she wanted to collect for the museum that originated from Silas. Took her a long time to create that list.”

            “It’s okay dad,” Laura gave him a hug. “I’ll stay here and wait for you tomorrow.”

            “Is there anything that you would like me to bring back?”

            Laura smiled. Her father always used to ask her this question when she was younger before he left on one of his work trips. Her answer was always the same.

            “A rose, like the one in the picture.”

            They both looked at the picture on her father’s desk. It was picture of her mother and her father in Paris, her mother holding a single red rose that her father had given their mother on the day that he told her that he loved her. It was fresh rose, her father had told her, that he had found around the city and plucked it just for her.

            “You ask for that every time,” her father chuckled.

            “And you always bring me one every time.”

            “Then I won’t forgot to get one this time,” her father gave her a giant hug. “I promise.”

            Laura waited in the living room for her father to finish packing his things, looking at all the pictures that her father kept on the fireplace mantel. Most of them were of Laura growing up from the day she was born to the day she graduated high school.

            There were only a few pictures of her mother. One of them as a family at the lake and then three pictures of her father and her mother in different places around the world.

            She picked up the one of all of them at the lake. It was the thing that they had all done together before her mother’s death.

            As she observed the photo even closer, she saw something that she had never noticed before. She couldn’t tell if she was just seeing things, but hidden in the clouds behind the mountains, it looked like the tower that she had seen as a child that day.

            Laura blinked and tried to look closer, but she couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the clouds or if it was real. She knew that she had seen something that day.

            “Laura?” her father interrupted her thoughts.

            She placed the picture back down on the mantel, the tower forgotten about.

            “You have everything packed?”

            “Sure do, kid,” her said as he gave her another hug. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

            “I’m sure you will,” Laura replied as they released their embrace. “Don’t forget about the rose.”

            “I couldn’t if I tried,” her father chuckled.

            Laura watched her father hop in his truck.

            “Goodbye Laura.”

            “See you tomorrow Dad.” Laura waved at him.

            “Tomorrow with the rose!” her father yelled out the window as he drove away.

            “Stay safe,” Laura mumbled under her breath.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

            Sherman Hollis looked out his window to the storm overhead. He thought he had checked the weather and didn’t see anything about a storm.

            He felt bad about leaving Laura on what was supposed to be their weekend together, but this was once very important to Eileen. She wanted to find all the original artwork and historical items of Silas and return them to the town.

            Despite it being small, Silas had a lot of history that no one talked about.

            The rain started coming down harder and lightning striking awfully close to the road.

            Sherman decided to slow down as the rain came down harder. The roads that ran out of town ran right on the edge of the Silas forest and were very curvy as they ran up some of the smaller mountains in Silas.

            He didn’t need to slip on the road and crash off the side of the mountain. He needed to find a rose and return to Laura tomorrow morning.

            His wonderful daughter that he loved so much. She was all he had left after Eileen died. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. It troubled him that she wanted to travel so much.

            He and Eileen had so much fun when the traveled, but it also made him more aware of what was out there. Laura was smart and strong, but there were always things out there that he would be worried about.

            Sherman pulled down his sun shade to reveal the picture of his family at the lake. The last day he was truly happy with his family. All of his family.

            As he stared at the picture for a moment, a bolt of lightning hit one the trees on the side of the road.

            Sherman swerved to avoid the falling tree, but had forgotten about the cliff on the other side of the road. He hit his brakes as hard as he could to avoid going off the cliff.

            He closed his eyes, waiting for the truck to go off the cliff, but the drop he excepted never came. He let out a breath in relief, but that relief was only momentary. Looking outside the window, he felt his stomach drop. The truck was teetering of the side of the cliff.

            There was no way he could move to get out of the car without risking the car going over the edge completely. It wasn’t a large drop to the bottom. Maybe about ten meters, but enough to crush a man.

            But he had to get out there. He didn’t want to wait for the rain to decide if the car was going on the cliff or wait for someone else to come along and help him. Hardly anyone ever went in and out town.

            His phone wasn’t getting any signal.

            He needed to get back to his daughter. He needed to be careful getting out of the car.

            Enough of the car was sitting on the ledge where if he could get to the backseats, he could possibly exit safely from there. The issue was getting to the backseats.

            Sherman shifted himself to get up from the driver seat, but the car teetered some more and shuddered at his movements.

            There had to be a way to get out this.

            Slowing him movements, he kept moving his body towards the backseat of the truck. The truck kept teetering but made no movements to fall off the edge of the cliff. He could make it. He could get out of here.

            It was a mistake to think that. He had finally gotten his entire body to the backseat of the truck when it all went sideways. Sherman reached to open the passenger door. He pushed it once and it didn’t open. The truck shifted. He pushed again, still not opening. The truck shifted some more. He had to be quick about this.

            With all the force he could, he pushed open the passenger door. He moved to finally escape the death trap when the truck slipped and finally fell of the edge.

            Sherman wrapped himself around the driver seat chair, holding on as tight as he could. Impact came and he felt himself fly into the back of the truck and then forward back. His chest hit the driver seat, knocking the wind out of him.

            He turned to the side, seeing that the car had hit the bottom and the door he opened had flown off. Gasping for air, he rolled to the exit and fell out the door.

            He felt the ground beneath him, praising that he hadn’t died.

            On his back, Sherman looked up at the cliff that he had fallen from. He was lucky that it wasn’t as high as he had thought it to be, but there was no way he could climb up it.

            Sherman sat up on his butt, feeling a hard pain in his side. He lifted up his shirt to see large bruising the left side of chest. Must’ve broken something.

            He checked his phone again, but it was completely busted. No chance of trying to call someone to help him.

            Finally getting to his feet, he looked at his surroundings. There was nothing but forest in his view. Wait.

            Sherman squinted ahead of him. He had to be seeing things. No one lived in the forest. No one had ever been in the forest.

            There was a small pillar of smoke coming from in-between the trees. Someone did live out here. They could help him. They could help him get back to the town.

            Each step he took, the pain in his side shot through him. He couldn’t let it stop him though. He promised Laura that he would see him tomorrow and he wasn’t about to break that promise.

            As he kept walking, there seemed to be a path forming in front of him. This was odd. As far as he knew, there had never been anything but animals in the forest.

            It started getting colder as he walked, then he felt flurries start to form on his nose.

            “Snow,” he mumbled to himself. “Snow in the middle of April?”

            Sure, he knew that it often showered in April, but he had never seen snow in the middle of April for as long as he had lived in Silas.

            Then he heard howls. Wolves. The sounds of the howls were a lot closer than he liked so he quickened his pace, following the path that was now clear in front of him.

            Sherman wasn’t sure how long he had been walking for now, maybe an hour now. Maybe it had only been ten minutes. He wasn’t sure.

            The only thing that he was sure of was the pain in his side and that the smoke he had seen was getting closer.

            Another howl, this time it sounded like it was coming from close behind him.

            He turned and started to run. Even though he was unsure of how close they were, he wasn’t about to risk it. The pain in his side was searing through his body, but was doing his best to ignore it has he ran.

            The sounds of howls was replaced by the sound of growls and paws hitting the forest floor. He didn’t have to look behind him to know that he was being chased by wolves. There was no way he could outrun them, but he would try.

            He made the mistake of looking back, seeing four large, white wolves chasing him down very quickly. There wasn’t much distance between him and wolves now.

            Turning back made him not see the hill in front of him.

            Sherman felt his foot fall farther than he had expected causing him to trip forward. He felt his weight fall forward and continue forward as the world spun around him, finally stopping as he hit something hard and cold. The momentum slid him forward.

            Once he got his bearing together, he realized that he had fallen down a hill and straight onto a frozen over pond, sliding across it. His eyes were closed, waiting for the feeling of sharp teeth sinking into him, but it never came.

            He heard howls and opened his eyes. The wolves had stopped at the top of hill like there was something keeping them from going forward. One of the wolves seemed to make eye contact with him and growl in his direction before turning back to forest.

            The pain in his side was slowly becoming less and less bearable.

            He turned away from the forest and couldn’t believe his eyes. In between the large mountains before him was a very large castle. There were towers coming from multiple parts of the building. It was like nothing he had never seen before. No one had ever heard of a castle in the middle of the Silas forest. This was impossible. How was it possible for no one to have ever come across this before.

            As magnificent as the castle looked before him, it seemed to be falling apart. There was no way that anyone could be living in there, but perhaps even if there wasn’t, he could try to get some recovery before tomorrow morning.

            The castle was largely surrounded by rose bushes. White and red mixed within. He realized that there were no way rose bushes could stay like that. Someone had to be taking care of them.

            As he passed each of the rose bushes, he couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the roses. Someone had taken great care in taking care of these roses.

            The doors to the castle were at least ten meters tall, plated in silver and gold. The designs of the gold and silver consisted of forestry designs- leaves and trees- along with different depictions of certain animals. Most of the depictions seemed to be surrounded around what looked to be panthers.

            Sherman picked up what looked to be like it used to be a flag that was careful woven, a panther head clearly visible in the middle of it. As he held it in his hands, it looked like it was a sort of royal crest and someone had completely torn it up.

            The pain in his side reminded him of what he was here for. There had to be someone here to help him.

            He forcefully pushed open the entrance doors and stumbled onto the ground in front of him, jumping when he heard the doors close behind him.

            “Hello?” Sherman shouted loudly through the castle. He could hear his voice echo throughout the castle.

            It was unusually quiet.

            He took a second to take in the surrounds of the castle. The falling apart of the outside of the castle seemed to match the inside of the castle as well as the intricate gold and silver designs that wrapped around the columns in the entrance.

            “Hello?” Sherman shouted again. “Sorry to intrude. I was just in a car accident and busted my cell phone. I’m just looking for some help. I seem to have badly bruised my side. Maybe just looking for a day to recover and then get back to town.”

            The castle was still quiet.

            “Anyone home? Anyone awake?” Sherman shouted.

            “He must’ve lost his way in the woods,” Sherman heard a voice speak and whirled his body towards the sound.

            “Shut up you idiot,” he heard another voice say.

            “Hello? Whose there?” Sherman spoke and looked in the direction of the voices.

            Instead of people, he saw a table with a very beautiful, lit candelabra next to a matching mantel clock. He studied them closely. Someone had clearly put in some hard work into creating these masterpieces. The attention to detail was so exquisite. He hadn’t seen any modern work like this. It looked like it belonged to something from the 1700s.

            “Beautiful,” he said under his breath. “Extraordinary.”

            Sherman turned his attention back to the middle of the room. The fireplace was well lit and it looked warm and cozy.

            “A man of taste,” he heard one of the voices say.

            “He was talking about me,” the other voice said. “Oops.”

            Sherman turned around again in the direction of the voices but didn’t see anyone.

            “Well,” Sherman said as he made his way towards the fireplace. “Wherever you are, I’m just going to warm myself by the fire. I don’t know how there’s snow in the middle of April.”

            Sherman sat down in one of the chairs by the fire. On the side table next to him, there was a teapot and a small teacup next to him. It was still warm when he felt it.

            He wasn’t sure where the owner was, but as cold as he was, he could use some good tea to warm himself up so he poured himself a small cup.

            It felt good to get something substantial and warm in his stomach. He had been on quite a trek.

            “That’s better,” he said to himself. “So much better.”

            Yea, he could spend a day to recover here. Hopefully he would be able to meet the owner of this castle while he was here and thank him or her for their hospitality even if they didn’t know that he was here.

            Sherman put the teacup down.

            “Thank you,” he said to himself then he looked down as the small teacup seemed to move and shudder. Then just like that, what looked like two eyes and a small mouth manifest on the small cup.

            “Mom said I wasn’t supposed to move because it might be scary. Sorry.”

            Sherman’s eyes almost popped out of his head. Did the teacup just talk to him? Did it just move?

            No. No. No. This was weird. He did no just talk to a teacup. That was impossible. He had to keep his cool. He was losing his mind. It was time to leave. Perhaps this wasn’t the best place to recover for the night.

            “It’s alright,” Sherman mustered out of his mouth. “I-I- I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality… Goodbye.”

            Sherman quickly sat up and ran towards the door.

            “…and goodnight.” He said before opening the door and getting outside.

            He ran outside into the cold air. How was he going to get home now? He took in all of his surrounds. In the distance, towards the edge of the garden he eyed what seemed to be a stable. If he was lucky, he could possible find and take a horse back to town.

            And he was lucky. As he opened the door, he found one white horse with a saddle hanging on the side. It seemed safe to be outside the castle. No one came out to get him.

            “Hey there,” Sherman said calmly as he approached the horse. “How you doing?”

            The horse seemed calm enough and within a few minutes of slow approach, he was able to pet the horse and place the saddle on it’s back. The pain in his side was still bothering him, but it was seeming to dull.

            It didn’t seem to complain or want to back away from him, so he hopped right back up on the horse’s back. It still seemed like it was okay with Sherman. He was lucky to have grown up around horses to know how to handle them.

            Wait, he thought to himself. I forgot something.

            “A rose,” he said to himself. “I need to grab one for Laura.”

            Sherman hopped off the horse and led it outside into the garden as he searched for the perfect rose to bring back to Laura.

            There were so many to choose from, but he needed to find the perfect one. The rows and rows of rose bushes led down many paths. He eventually started to hear something as he walked through it. It sounded like a water fountain. How was it possible that there was a water fountain still running?

            He started making is way towards the sound when he spotted the perfect rose. He quickly ran to it and carefully plucked it as to not ruin it or prick himself on the thorns.

            It was perfect for Laura. He admired his beauty for a moment before he turned around to jump on the horse and get out of there.

            He didn’t realize that the fountain he heard was right behind him. Instead of seeing water spouting from it like he had excepted, he saw something else. The liquid was thick and red. He stepped closer to it, not believing his eyes. It couldn’t be.

            Then the smell of death and metal hit his nose. It was.

            Sherman heard the sound of a roar and then large footprints land right next to him.

            He turned his head and was staring in the eyes of a very, very large, angry panther.

Chapter Text

            Laura woke up the next morning and had an odd feeling in her stomach. She was having a weird feeling that today wasn’t going to be a good day.

            She shook it off as she got out of bed. Her father would be back today and make everything better.

            Since her father was out of town and they weren’t able to spend time together, she thought she would attend the opening of the new free hospital clinic for her photojournalism class. She had a while to finish the project, but decided it was good time to knock it out.

            She wanted to pass the time so that she wouldn’t worry about when her father got back and walking to the opening would be better than driving. It was about a thirty-minute walk to the clinic.

            Laura threw on a pair of yoga pants and a casual flannel, threw a book and her camera in her bag. With any luck, she could do some travel research while the clinic was going on. She rigged her camera to take a picture every few minutes and then she would choose the best pictures later.

            She headed downstairs and opened up the pantry. Cookies. Her father knew her so well, she thought as she grabbed one and headed out the door. It wasn’t the healthiest breakfast in the world, but at least it was something.

            The walk was a lot quicker than she thought it was.

            She looked around at the crowd. There was no way that she would be able to get photos up close. So, she grabbed her tripod and set up on a little hill in the trees behind the crowd.

            Her camera was already set up to a take a few pictures every five minutes, all she had to do was let it do its thing.

            The ceremony started right on time and she let her camera do all the work.

            Laura found a shady tree to sit under while the ceremony went on and pulled out the book she was currently reading. A Tale of Two Cities. It took place in two cities that she couldn’t wait to visit when she could leave Silas.

            “What are you doing?” she heard a small voice approach her.

            Laura looked up from her book and saw that small girl had approached her.

            “Just reading a book,” Laura smiled at her. “What about you?”

            “I’m supposed to be playing in the park while my mommy talks to some people at the hospital. What is the book about?”

            “It’s about two cities. London and Paris. Have you ever heard of them?”

            The little girl shook her head.

            “I want to visit them someday.”

            “And leave Silas?” the girl questioned her.

            “Yes, just that. I want to travel the world.”

            “Where is Paris?” the little girl asked.

            “It’s in France which is in Europe across the Indian Ocean. Would you like to see pictures of it?” Laura asked with a smile.

            The little girl nodded as Laura pulled out her laptop, showing her the most beautiful pictures of Paris. The little girl kept asking Laura questions about the city and the people.

            “I’ve never left Silas,” the little girl said quieting. “Mommy and Daddy said that Silas is safe and it’s where family is.”

            “Well,” Laura started. “You can always leave once you’re older.”

            “I can?” she asked with eyes wide.

            “Why of course,” Laura chuckled.

            “What are you doing?” she heard a woman approach her and the little girl. “Showing her pictures of a city that she’ll never get to visit?”

            “Never?” Laura shook her head. “There’s a possibility that she c-“

            “No,” the woman scolded her. “To put such ideas in her head it preposterous.”

            “I’m sorry,” Laura stood up. “I didn’t realize that the idea of wanting to learn and discover more is so ‘preposterous’.”

            This was one of those times that Laura thought that their use of language was so outdated and couldn’t take her seriously.

            “Don’t take that sort of tone with me,” the woman chided.

            Laura heard a crash next to her and saw the some of the younger men in the town had just tipped over and broke her camera.

            “What the hell?” Laura yelled as she ran over to her camera.

            The young men scattered in different directions once they saw Laura coming towards them.

            Laura quickly picked up the camera and check to see if the sim card was still there and sure enough, it still was. At least she didn’t lose that.

            Most of the people in this town were so rude to her. They laughed at her idea of wanting to leave Silas, telling her that it was an impossible dream. She couldn’t wait to laugh in their faces one day and give them the finger as she drove out of town.

            Her camera was completely useless now and she would have to explain to her professor what had just happened and why her camera was broken. Great.

            Laura needed a pick me up. She took out her phone and decided to see how far the bakery was from her.

            A five-minute walk. Perfect.

            Laura order a dozen chocolate chip cookies and two cupcakes for her and her father when he got home tonight. She thought it would be a nice surprise for him.

            “Anything to drink?” the lady behind the counter asked.

            “Hmmm… Do you have any grape soda?” Laura asked.

            “Yes dear, one grape soda coming up.”

            A few minutes later, the lady came back with her order and the grape soda.

            “Thank you!” Laura said kindly.

            “Anytime, dear.”

            Laura opened the door and almost spilled her grape soda as she bumped into someone on the other side.

            “Laura!” she heard Danny exclaim. “I’m sorry. I’ve been looking for you.”

            “Oh, hey Danny,” Laura looked at the ground. “I was just headed to my dad’s.”

            Danny looked around, probably looking for Laura’s car.

            “Do you need a ride?” Danny asked.

            “It’s okay, I walked here, and I was just going to walk back.”

            “Come on Laura, it’s a quick drive and not too far out of the way. You don’t need to walk all the way back.”

            Laura really didn’t want to walk back now that there was an opportunity for a ride. The wind was starting to pick up and the clouds overhead indicated a chance that it might rain soon. Perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to accept a ride from Danny. But… it was a ride from Danny.

            It was another chance for Danny to try and ask her out.

            Laura ran her hand through her hair.

            “Laura?” Danny asked.

            “Sure,” Laura faked a smile. “I could use a ride.”

            “Great,” Danny exclaimed. “My car is just around the corner.”

            The start of the ride was silent with only the sound of the radio coming through Danny’s speakers. Then Danny decided to speak.

            “I heard that you ran into some trouble during the clinic opening. That’s alright because most of those people are only there because nothing else significant is really happening in their lives that they attend a clinic opening for fun.”

            Laura nodded, but kept silent.

            “Can I tell you something? Try to give you a little help?” Danny asked.

            Laura nodded again.

            “I think that the people here are just stuck in their ways, you know? They’re just thinking that you have too many crazy ideas and they don’t trust.”

            “I was just trying to show that girl that there’s more to the world than just Silas,” Laura snapped.

            “Laura… You shouldn’t worry about children that aren’t yours.”

            Laura froze.

            “What the heck are you talking about Danny? I don’t have any kids and I do not plan on having kids for a long time. I’m not even a junior in college yet and not to mention that I am still single.”

            “I wasn’t saying for you to have kids now,” Danny laughed. “I’m just saying that leave the parenting to the parents. As for the single part, you just haven’t met the right girl.”

            “I wasn’t trying to parent the kid,” Laura exclaimed. “And what? It’s a small-town Danny. I know almost everyone in this town and most of the woman that live here are straight.”

            “Well,” Danny put on a hopeful smile. “Maybe you should take a look again. Some of us are… different and have changed.”

            “Danny…” Laura sighed. This was the conversation that she had been hoping to avoid with Danny. “I don’t think we could ever work out. No one can change that much.”

            A flash of anger came across Danny’s face.

            “How would you know that before we’ve even tried?”

            “Because I know me, and I know you and it would never work.”

            “That’s an awfully bold assumption. I have money Laura, we could travel together and see the world, then come back and settle here.”

            “You think I want your money Danny?!” Laura yelled at her. “I don’t need or want your money.”

            “And how are you going to pay to travel outside of this town? Your father certainly can’t help you. Simple, pretty girls like you don’t go far in this town. I could help you.”

            “I am far from simple, Danny,” Laura calmed down. “I don’t need your help. Pull over.”

            “Laura, come on, we’re almost the-“

            “Pull over Danny!”

            Danny looked shocked at Laura and then pulled to a slow stop.

            “I’m sorry, Laura, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Danny pleaded.

            “Just stop, Danny,” Laura shook her head. “You may not have meant to, but you did. You can’t control me. You and I… will never happen. I thought we could remain friends, but I guess not.”

            As the rain came down, Laura chided herself for not checking the weather before leaving the house.

            She was about a block away from her house when she saw the police cruiser in front of it. What the hell? She broke into a run and saw that there were two policemen on the porch in front of the front door.

            “Can I help you?” Laura asked as she stepped up the porch.

            “Laura Hollis? Daughter of Sherman Hollis?” the tall man said.

            “That would be me. Is my father okay?”

            “We’re not sure, ma’am,” the other officer, a female, spoke. “We found his truck gone off a hill on the road out of town. He wasn’t inside.”

            “What?” Laura exclaimed. “Where is he?”

            “We don’t know, ma’am,” the man spoke again. “We were hoping that he called you and you knew of his whereabouts.”

            “He hasn’t called me. Where is the road? What hill? How did it happen?”

            “We aren’t too sure of the details ma’am,” the woman spoke.

            “Take me to the crash,” Laura said immediately. “Now.”

            “We shouldn’t do that,” the male officer spoke. “That’s not a good idea.”

            “He’s the only family I have,” Laura practically yelled. “Take me to the scene. I need to see it.”

            The male officer shook his head.

            “We shouldn’t…”

            “But, maybe we can,” the female officer said quickly. “You can’t touch anything though and you can’t go anywhere near the edge.”

            “I can do that,” Laura replied holding back tears.

            The two officers ushered her to the back of the police cruiser in the front of her father’s house.

            She couldn’t believe that this was happening. Of all her worst nightmares, this was one of them. Her father was all the family that she had left, she couldn’t lose him now.

            Laura knew that she shouldn’t have gotten out of bed today. The feeling that she felt early in her stomach was the feeling of dread.

            She finally discovered the officer’s names, Officer Winchester and Officer Danvers. They drove with the lights on and she was grateful for that because they got there a lot quicker than she had expected.

            It seemed to like a tv show when they pulled up to the scene.

            There were multiple police cars on scene as well as a firetruck and an ambulance. God, she hope that her father was okay.

            As they pulled closer, her hopes were quickly diminishing. Laura couldn’t see her father’s truck. Where had it gone? Where was he?

            The lights of the all the emergency vehicles were blinding her, but she was only focused on one thing. Finding her father.

            Officer Danvers opened the back door for Laura and she slowly got out. This couldn’t be real. This had to be some sort of nightmare.

            The edge of the cliff had been roped off and Laura observed skid marks on the road that led towards the edge.

            Looking around, there was nothing that could’ve led him to go off the road in sight. It must’ve been an animal that had run in the middle of the road, but what animal would be anywhere near a cliff like this?

            Laura’s steps felt heavy and slow as Officer Danvers led her towards the rope. The officer’s mouth was moving, but Laura couldn’t hear anything come out of it.

            “I’m sorry, what?” Laura asked almost choking on her own spit.

            “It looks like you’re father’s truck was run off the road.”

            Laura’s eyes went wide and almost immediately ran towards the edge.

            “Whoa kid,” the officer held her back and spoke quickly. “It was a relatively small drop compared to what it could’ve been and your father was not found in the car, so we are assuming that he is up and moving. He’s probably trying to make it way back into town right now.”

            Laura shoved the officer’s arm off her and sprinted towards the cliff. She remembered that she wasn’t supposed to do that, but this was her dad for Christ’s sake. She had to find out what happened to him.

            Her heart dropped at the scene before her. The truck was head first into the ground, leaning against the side of the hill. While the officer was right, it was a relatively small drop… It was still a drop. There was no way her father could’ve gotten out of the unscathed.

            She felt a hand on her shoulder.

            “Is there anyone down there looking for him right now?” Laura practically screamed trying to hold the tears back.

            “The search party and dogs our on their way right now, but it’s getting dark and there’s no way we could send a search party out in the dark right now. We don’t have that kind of manning or equipment.”

            “No, no, no,” Laura felt the tears threatening to leave her eyes. “You have to find him now. You have to get everyone out there.”

            “We’re working on it and trying our best.”

            “You’re best,” Laura screamed. “If you were doing your best, you would have people out looking for them right now!”

            “Laura,” Officer Danvers started. “We are doing everything in our power to find your father.”

            Laura’s eyes flitted around, looking for a way down the cliff, but there wasn’t anything she could to scale down the side right now. She hated this. She hated feeling useless and powerless.

            Officer Winchester approached them.

            “It’s clear down the cliff,” he said. Laura assumed it means that they didn’t find her father. “They would like Laura to go down and confirm that it was her father’s truck.”

            “Can’t she see it from here?” Officer Danvers asked.

            “I’m sure she can, but the chief said that Laura should take a look to see if there’s anything that could tell us where he went.”

            “How would she know?” Danvers retorted.

            “I’ll go down there,” Laura said quickly. “I want to do anything I can to help.”

            Winchester nodded and led her back to their police cruiser.

            “There’s a team waiting a little down the road with ATVs that will escort you to the truck. We’ll drive you down there and wait for you so we can take you home.”

            Sure enough, there were a few firemen and police officers waiting for her a little down the road where the road met the ground.

            “Laura Hollis?” one of the firemen asked.

            Laura nodded, not trusting that her words wouldn’t lead to tears.

            “Put this helmet on and we’ll take you to the truck.”

            Laura silently put the helmet on and hopped on the back of the ATV.

            The ride was extremely short and she could feel all the bumps in the ground as they made their way towards the wreck.

            She knew that it was her father’s truck even before she hopped off the ATV. It was a green truck with a white stripe going down the side of it. No one else in Silas had anything like it.

            “We can’t let you approach the truck because we’re still securing the scene,” the fireman told her as she got off the ATV, not even bothering to take the helmet off. “But, is this your father’s truck?”

            “It is,” tears started falling from Laura’s eyes.

            “Do you have any idea where he went? Do you see any signs that lead to him?”

            Laura wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes and looked around.

            There was nothing but forest around here and it looked like it had been raining her recently washing away any chance of following his tracks. The forest just seemed to go on for miles, but… Laura saw something. A small trail.

            She had never heard of there being any trails in the Silas forest, but there was one as clear as day in front of her leading into the forest. That’s where her father went. She knew that was the only thing he could possibly follow. It had to lead to something.

            “There’s a trail,” Laura said pointing towards it.

            “A trail,” the fireman questioned. “Laura, we don’t see one.”

            “Right there!” Laura exclaimed pointing again towards it.

            “There’s no trail there honey,” he repeated.

            “You can’t see that?” Laura screamed. How? It was right there as plain as day in front of her. There was no way that she could see it, but the fireman couldn’t.

            Laura looked into his eyes as he peered towards the forest. The look on his face told Laura that he really wasn’t lying. He couldn’t see it. Why not?

            “I’m sorry Laura,” the fireman shook his head. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. We’ve been combing the surrounding area for an hour now. We would’ve found a trail if there was one.”

            Impossible. It was right there. She could feel it and she knew in that direction is where her father was.

            In a split-second decision, she darted off towards the ATV. The idiot fireman had left the keys in the ignition and the engine running.

            “Laura,” the fireman yelled. “What are you doing?!”

            Laura quickly turned the ATV in the direction of the trail and gassed it forward.

            “LAURA!” the fireman yelled.

            She heard the screams of the men and women behind her but elected to ignore them. They would follow her if they knew what they were doing.

            Her father was in this direction and she had to find him.

            The sounds of other ATVs were close behind her. Yes, she thought, follow me. She would lead them to her father.

            Laura didn’t understand how they had not seen the trail in front of them. It was getting clearer the further into the forest she got. The trees lined the path and the ground beneath her seemed like it had been walked on a few times.

            Then everything got quiet.

            Laura couldn’t hear the sounds of voice or other ATVs. It was quiet with only the sounds of trees moving in the wind and little creatures skittering across trees and the ground.

            Where did they go, Laura thought, they were right behind her!

            She had paused with ATV for a moment before deciding that it was useless. They had somehow lost her. She had to find her father on her own.

            Laura reeved the engine and then continued forward, farther into the forest. There was no going back now. Every time she looked back, she couldn’t see the trail behind her. There was a fog falling on the forest that seemed to be chasing Laura.

            There was a weird temperature drop and she was wishing that she had brought a warm coat with her.

            Deeper and deeper in the forest she got, it started getting colder. Snow started showing up on the ground. What she was looking at seemed at most impossible to be true. Snow in the middle of April in Silas was unheard of.

            Laura finally saw what looked to be a break in the forest ahead of her.

            As soon as the tree line broke, she felt the change in elevation as the ATV started to downhill very quick and at the bottom was a frozen lake.

            Laura hit the brakes of the ATV so quick. There was no chance that the frozen lake could take the weight of an ATV, but the ATV wouldn’t stop.

            She braced for the breaking of ice, but instead was met with the ATV skidding across the ice until it barreled straight to the other side and into a deep snow.

            Laura looked behind her in disbelief. The ice held the ATV. She almost laughed in relief.

            The cold was hitting Laura hard. She could feel her hands almost freezing over on the grips of the ATV and she almost couldn’t feel her ears at this point.

            The fog that was behind her dissipated as quick as it had come.

            That’s when she saw the scenery before her.

            “No way,” Laura said under her breath.

            In front of her was a large castle. Bigger than anything she had ever seen. It was bigger than her university.

            The towers of the castle… She knew she wasn’t crazy! She had seen them before! She saw them when she was at the lake with her mother and father and she saw it in that same picture they took that day.

            However, Laura knew this wasn’t the time to admire it. She knew that she had to put her curiosity aside and find her father.

            Fortunately, the snow on the ground wasn’t high enough for the ATV to get stuck. She continued forward with it.

            She followed the quickest path to the castle doors and noticed that it was all lined with rose bushes. Her father was here no doubt. He probably came here seeking shelter from the cold and was looking for a way back to town.

            Laura wasn’t sure which way was the way back to town, but she at least had the means to get there. In hindsight, stealing a fire station’s ATV wasn’t the greatest idea.

            She cut the engine as soon as she came up to the stairs that led to the doors of the castle and pulled out her phone. The screen was black and unresponsive. Last checked in Danny’s car, she had at least fifty percent battery. It couldn’t have died so quick.

            She held the power button to turn on her phone, but it was still unresponsive. There wasn’t even the little battery indication to tell her that her phone was dead. It was just nothing. She had no way to call anyone, get help or even tell anyone where she was. All alone of out here. She wanted to throw her phone in frustration but refrained from doing so.

            Laura had to do this on her own. She wasn’t going to go another minute without knowing where her father was.

            She turned and looked at the back of the ATV, rummaging through the tools, looking for something that could be used as a weapon. There was nothing much more than a crowbar and she grabbed it, hoping that it would be enough.

            The steps to the doors were icy as Laura carefully raced up them and threw the doors open, hit with the warmth inside.

            Laura looked around. There was no one there to greet her. It looked like the place was mostly abandoned except for the burning fireplace.

            “Look Will,” she heard a distance voice say. “A beautiful girl.”

            Laura turned her head.

            “Yes, I can see it’s a girl,” Another voice said. “I lost my hands, not my eyes.”

            “What if she is the one?”

            “The one who will-“

            There was a loud thud as the doors to the castle closed behind her.

            “Who’s that,” Laura asked. Her voice echoed through the halls. “Who’s there?”

            There was a small cough in the distance.

            “Dad?” Laura called.

            Silence. Laura reached the places where she heard the voices and saw nothing, but a clock and a lit candle. Perfect. Just what she needed.

            Laura trudged up the long staircase, hoping that it would lead to her father.

            In retrospect, the castle was very large and gorgeous. She didn’t know a lot about architecture like her father, but she knew enough to know how old the designs were.

            The stairs were like a labyrinth. They seemed long and unending.

            “Dad?” Laura called again.

            “Laura?” she heard her father’s voice.

            “Dad?!” she exclaimed and ran in the direction of the voice.

            “Laura!” she heard him yell again.

            It was coming from higher up in the castle.

            Laura kept climbing up the stairs. She must’ve been in one of the towers as she looked up and saw a spiraling staircase going very high up in a small cylindrical part of the castle.

            She took that stairs two at time as she ran up them. Her father was here. She knew it!

            “Dad are you here?”

            “Laura!”

            Laura finally came upon a iron cell where she found her father on the other side of the it. She was so relieved to finally have found him. Laura set the candle and the crowbar on the ground as she ran up to him.

            “It is you,” her father smiled at her and grabbed her hands through the iron gate. “How did you find me?”

            He didn’t look well. His face was pale and he was shuddering from the cold.

            She let go of her father’s hands and started looking for a way to open the gate.

            “Oh,” Laura gasped. “Your hands are like ice. We need to get you home.”

            “You need to get out of here Laura,” her father’s tone changing from happy to urgent and fear. “You need to leave now.”

            Laura ignored his pleas as she messed around with the lock mechanism. There had to be a way to get it open.

            “The castle is alive,” he said as he grabbed her hands. “You have to go before she finds you and locks you up like she did to me.”

            Alive? Laura cocked her head to the side. How could a castle be alive? And who the hell was he referring to? She hadn’t seen anyone in the castle when she got here and there had been no one to greet her when she entered it.

            “Who are you talking about Dad? How did you end up in here?”
            Laura kept frantically trying to unlock the door, ignoring her father’s pleas to leave him and go home.

            Then there was a roar coming from right beside her. Laura picked up the crowbar and the candle, swinging in the direction of the roar. The figure jumped back a few steps on the staircase into the shadows.

            Laura held the candle up high, searching the shadows for the figure.

            “Who’s there?” Laura let go of the lock and picked up the candle, readying to hit someone with it. “Who are you? What do you want with my dad?”

            “Who are you?” the voice seemed to be encircling her. It was low and there was hint of a growl, it didn’t sound human.

            “I came to look for my dad and bring him home.”

            “Your father is a thief.”

            “Lair!” Laura yelled. Her father would never steal a thing. He was one of the kindest and most honest person she ever knew in this town. If he found a twenty-dollar bill on the streets, he would do his best to return it to whoever it belonged to.

            “I caught him stealing a rose,” the figure said.

            Laura’s eye widened, guilty running through her.

            “I was the one who asked him to bring me a rose,” Laura stood tall and confident. “If you want someone to lock up, it should be me.”

            “No,” her father yelled. “She means forever Laura. You’ll be locked up forever. Apparently, it’s what happens around here when you pick a rose.”

            While she feared for her father, the sarcasm in his voice was comforting. It was unfair though. In Silas, the most you would get for stealing a rose was a fine or a night in jail, not a life sentence. That was ridiculous.

            “A life sentence for a rose? How is that fair?” Laura asked.

            There was another loud and large roar that caused Laura to shrink a little and lose her confidence.

            “I received eternal damnation for one,” the figure explained. “I’m merely locking him away at the moment.”

            Laura was about to speak again when the figure growled once more at her.

            “Now, if you want your father’s freedom there is only one way to do that. Do you wish to take his place?”

            The figure was still standing the shadows. Laura could see the outline of whoever it was, but that was it. The face was hidden. Who did they think they were locking her father up like this?

            “Come into the light,” Laura straightened up again.

            If they were going to talk about this, she wanted to see them face to face.

            The figure remained still.

            Laura thrusted the candle forward towards the figure. She gasped and took a large step backwards from the woman.

            The light revealed a woman only about an inch taller than Laura herself. Her hair was long, smooth and black, but in a way to looked almost unkept. Her eyes were red with looked like black veins coming from them and her teeth were barred at Laura. The woman’s canine teeth long and sharp like a lion.

            Her hand on the wall had the same black veins showing clearly against the paleness of her skin. Laura could see clearly see the bones in her hands and claws where her fingernails should have been.

            Burns covered half of her face and half of her body.

            As Laura peered more into her eyes, they dulled from red to dark brown. They were beautiful eyes. Human.

            The only thing that made this seem human was her eyes.

            She knew she should’ve been scared, but she was here to get her father out and she knew that she would. There was no way in hell or Hogwarts that she was going to let her father stay here with this… beast.

            “Choose,” she growled loudly.

            “Laura,” her father’s voice bringing her attention back to him. I won’t let you do this. I lost your mother. I won’t lose you too.”

            Then a violent coughing fit coming came from her father after he spoke.

            She had lost her mother as well and she couldn’t lose her father either. She had to get him out of there. If this woman wanted for someone to take her father’s place than that’s what she would do.

            However, her father would never willingly let her do that.

            “Go,” her father coughed. “Go!”

            Laura looked through the bars and saw that he was cold and getting colder. He wouldn’t last long in this weather.

            “All right,” Laura said calmly. “I’ll leave.”

            She heard her father breath in relief and then turned towards the woman.

            “I need a minute with him,” Laura commanded.

            The woman growled and did not make a move to open the gate.

            “Are you so cold-hearted that you won’t let me have a second with my dad to say goodbye? I’m sure with a lifetime here, you can give me a minute.”

            The woman stared into Laura’s eyes like she was trying to read her.

            It seemed like a long time passed before she made her way closer to the Laura and the gate.

            The woman reached out with her hand. Laura closed her eyes, bracing herself for retaliation. However, instead she heard a large clang and the squeaking of metal.

            Laura opened her eyes to find herself eye to eye with the beast. She had reached up above her head to pull down an iron lever, unlocking the door.

            “When this door closes,” she threatened. “It will not open again.”

            Immediately, Laura ran in and embraced her father in a hug.

            “I thought that I had lost you,” Laura breathed into the arms. “I should have come with you. This was supposed to be our weekend together.”

            “Oh no, no, no,” her father hugged her tighter. “Listen to me Laura, it’s going to be alright. I’m going to be alright. You need to go.”

            He let go of her and placed his hands on her arms, looking her in the eye.

            “You need to go live your life,” he said and smiled at her. “Don’t worry about me. Forget me. Take the house or sell it and travel like you always dreamed of.”

            “Forget you?” Laura was confused. She could never forget her father. That was impossible. “I am who I am because of you. You raised me alone and you raised me well.”

            “I love you so much Laura. Don’t be afraid.”

            Laura placed her hands on her father’s shoulders.

            “I love you too Dad,” Laura could feel the tears threatening to run down her face, but she had to suck it up for her father’s sake. “I’m not afraid.”

            Laura sucked in a breath. This was is it. She looked into his eyes and felt her father relax.

            “And I will escape,” she said quickly. “I promise.”

            “What?”

            Before he had a chance to figure out what was going on, Laura pivoted around and pushed her father out the cell with all she, watching him trip of the gate as the beast closed it shut.

            It took him a moment to register what happened and he scrambled to the gate.

            “What did you do Laura?” he exasperated.

            “You took his place,” the woman spoke, locking her eyes with Laura.

            “He’s my dad,” Laura pulled on the gate and stood up.

            “He’s a fool,” the woman growled. “And so are you.”

            Laura kept wondering who this woman was and how no one had ever mentioned seeing her before. Surely, someone would remember seeing someone like that around Silas. The way she talked too… It was like some of the other people in town. The words she said were like she was older and wiser, but even through the animalistic features, she couldn’t have been much older than her.

            The woman grabbed her father by the collar and started dragging him away. For someone who was barely taller than Laura, she had a lot of strength.

            “Laura…” her father started crying.

            “Dad,” Laura yelled. “Don’t hurt him!”

            Laura heard her father grunt as the woman dragged him down the stairs.

            “Dad!”

            “No,” her father yelled. “I’ll come back! I promise!”

            There was a sound of a door being shut and all was quiet.

            Laura slumped to the ground and let the tears fall out of her eyes.

Chapter Text

            Laura kept closing her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, it was all just a bad dream. Even with the feeling of the cold, hard floor beneath her, she still hoped... She didn’t want to open her eyes to what was now her harsh reality.

            What kind of person locked another person away for life for one simple rose? The police and the judges should be determining the punishment for a crime, not a random woman out in the middle of Silas. Whoever this woman was, did not have the right to lock someone away. She especially had no right to give a lifetime sentence. This had to be kidnapping… Right?

            Laura had to work on escape plan. Worst case, her father would come back, bringing some help with him to get her out of here. She promised her father that she would escape and return home. After that, the law could handle the woman.

            Her eyes finally opened and saw that she was still huddled in the corner of the prison cell in the castle. More tears started forming in her eyes as she didn’t know if there was a way out. Would she really spend the rest of her life locked in this tower?

            Suddenly there was a large clang outside the cell and the gate swung open.

            “Pardon, the intrusion Madame, but I have been sent to escort you to your room,” an unknown voice spoke to her.

            Laura quickly stood up, grabbing the small stool that was placed in the cell, ready to swing. She had been met with nothing but hostility since she got here and now someone was supposed to be escorting her to her room. It had to be a trick.

            “My room?”

            Laura was confused, she thought that a life sentence would consist of being locked in the prison cell. Not, an actual room.

            “But I thought-“ Laura spoke.

            “What,” the voice spoke dramatically. “’That once this door closes it will not open again, ROAR’? I know, she gets so dramatic.”

            Laura leaps out the door with the stool, ready to swing at a grown person, but doesn’t see anyone. Instead, she looks down to see the same candle she had been holding earlier waving at her and smiling.

            “Hello,” the candle spoke.

            Laura screeched and bashed the candle with the stool like she had seen a nasty cockroach run across the floor.

            The candle grunted, fell a few feet backwards on the stone floor and the candles extinguish.

            Laura looked into the shadows where the candle had fallen still holding the stool up. She hears a small clatter on the ground and then a small flicker as one of the candles on the candle relights. Then a second one.

            Laura leans forward to inspect the thing and can see the figure of a person on the candle. As she stared at it more, she could just make out small eyes on a small face underneath the unlit middle candle. There were what seemed to be legs on the bottom as it walked right back over to her.

            “Oh,” the candle seemed impressed. “You are strong. That’s a great quality!”

            Laura was sort of freaked out now. She must be losing her mind. She was talking to a candle and it was talking back to her. There was no way that this was real. Tricks. This all had to be a bunch of tricks. Maybe it was a robot of some sort.

            “What are you?” Laura peered at it.

            One of the arm candles, reaches up and lights the main candle to reveal a dashing smile on what Laura had made out to be the face.

            “I am LaFontaine,” it said as it gave her a small bow.

            “Annddd you can talk?” Laura pointed out.

She wanted to hit herself on the face. Obviously, the thing could talk. The question was how it was possible that it could talk. It didn’t move or talk like a robot Laura had seen before. No. The movements and attitude of the candle were too human like to be a robot. Unless robots had somehow figured out to take control of themselves and act like a human. But that theory was just as crazy as the walking and talking candle right in front of her.

            From the steps leading down, there was the sound of someone huffing and puffing like they were winded from the stairs.

            “Of course, they can talk,” Laura heard someone else say. “It’s all they ever do. Now as your prince, I demand that you put her back in her cell at once!”

            Laura whirled her head around and saw a walking, talking clock. The same one that had been next to the candle when she first arrived inside the castle.

            This was all too much for her. Not only was there a walking and talking candle that possessed such humanistic qualities, the clock was the same thing as well.

            She quickly rushed back into the cell, looking for something- anything that she could use a better weapon than a stool. This was crazy. She was crazy. There was no way that this was real. It had to be a dream at this point. A very real feeling dream.

            “What do you want to be for the rest of your life Will,” she heard the candle- LaFontaine as they put it- respond to the clock who was now apparently named Will. “Do you want to be a man or a mantle clock?”

            Laura couldn’t find anything better than a stool as a weapon in the cell. Maybe this could be her way to escape. They were just small household items. They could stop her if she tried to run out the door.

            She shook her head at herself. They were household items… Wow. That was not something that ever except to see in her life. As crazy as all of this seemed, this could work in her favor. And it was, in fact, insane. Being kidnapped by something- someone that looked more beast than human, talking to household items that talked back and escaping a very large, grand castle in the middle of the woods.

            Her thoughts came back to her escape plan. She could knock LaFontaine and Will out of the way, incapacitating them- because if they could talk, who knows what else they could do- and then bring back the police to take care of the woman who had kidnapped her and her father.

            It was the best plan she had right now. It was what she had to go with.

            Laura turned and stepped out of the cell, seeing both LaFontaine and Will looking up at her in expectation. It was like they knew that she had no choice but go along with it. There was no hint of worry on LaFontaine’s… face as she approached them.

            “Ready miss?” LaFontaine asked and then turned to Will. “Trust me, sire.”

            Will didn’t seem too keen on following LaFontaine’s plan but didn’t object as he started climbing up the stairs.

            LaFontaine smiled and motioned for Laura to follow the clock.

            Confused, she picked up LaFontaine for light and followed Will up the stairs.

            They reached the door at the top of stairs which somehow Will had managed to open and Laura followed him through it. The open door led to a small stone walkway that was high above the castle grounds. Her eye’s darted around, looking for an escape route. This was the perfect vantage point to see all of the grounds.

            However, the castle grounds were much larger than she thought and beyond that was nothing, but miles and miles of forest shrouded in fog in front of her followed two large mountains on either side of the castle. The clouds above were thick, not providing much light to the Earth as the sun was setting and Laura couldn’t see any sign of another person or the town from this view. It was just a vast expanse of trees and rock.

            Even if she did manage to escape, she wasn’t sure how she would find her way back to town. There were no indications of a path anywhere in sight. She even remembered the path she had come in on seemed to disappear as she followed it like magic…

            Laura almost scoffed at herself. There was no such thing as magic.

            She decided that her escape plan needed more planning. If she were to try and escape now, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t lose her way in the forest and die of starvation or by some large animal she could come across.

            Her eyes averted back to the clock that was walking in front of her.

            “You must forgive first impressions,” LaFontaine spoke in her hand. “I hope you are not too startled.”

            Laura took note that the speech of the candle was almost the exact same as some of the people that she had met in town. It was an elegant way to talk, but too elegant for someone living in the middle of Canada.

            “Why would you startle me,” Laura asked. “I’m talking to a candle.”

            “Candelabra, please,” LaFontaine corrected. “Enormous difference. But consider me at your service. The castle is your home now, so feel free to go anywhere you like--"

            “Except for the west wing,” Will looked up and quickly interrupted.

            LaFontaine immediately swung their face around to face Will. It looked like LaFontaine was giving Will a weird look and Laura was confused for a moment.

            “Which we do not have,” Will continued quietly.

            “What’s in the west win-“

            “It doesn’t exist,” LaFontaine replied.

            “It’s forbidden,” Will yelled at the same time.

            So that was it. LaFontaine didn’t want Will to mention the west wing and apparently it was part of the castle that Laura should stay away from, but now her curiosity was peaked. She looked back at the tower to what she thought was west. It was just as tall as the other tower, but it had a more ominous look to it. It was falling apart a lot worse than the other tower and seemed to be the center of the where the castle was starting to ruin.

            “This way, please!” LaFontaine’s voice bringing her back to her current situation.

            “To the east wing,” Will added as he opened the next door in front of them.

“Or as I like to call it, the only wing,” LaFontaine cheerfully shouted. “Watch your step please Madame.”

            Laura stepped up and into the east wing. The east wing didn’t seem to match what she had seen of the castle already. Except for the intricate carving and walls lined with the colors purple and gold, it was more modern than she had expected.

            There were actually electrical lights in the ceilings. Not candles like she thought there would be, but actual, electric lights.

            Will finally stopped in front of the double doors at the end of the hallway. The outside of the room looked nice, but it had to be a trick. There was no way that the beast would give her anything better than her original prison cell.

            “Welcome to your new home,” LaFontaine smiled. “It’s modest, but comfortable.”

            The doors swung open and Laura expected to see a very small dirty, grungy broom closet like room. Maybe a small cot for a bed and a window with bars on it, but it was something else completely.

            Light flooded the room through lights in the high ceilings. It was nowhere close to as small as Laura had thought. It was probably as big as her entire apartment across from the university. It was the most beautiful, magical room that Laura had ever seen.

            The ceiling was a painting of white clouds in a blue sky. The bed was king sized, covered with silk sheets, a large, fluffy comforter and many, many pillows. There were two nightstands on either side of the bed, one side had an alarm clock, but both had gold lamps. The walls were painted the same blue was the sky, the mold crowning was white with small, leaf designs on them. A large dresser filled the space of a break in the wall. Next to it, was a vanity with a large mirror surrounded by lights.

            Laura was surprised to see a TV mounted on one of the walls with a small gold leather couch and glass coffee table in front of it. She had gotten the impression that this place was old and didn’t have an electricity, but she guessed that she was wrong.

            “It’s… Beautiful,” Laura breathed.

            “Of course,” LaFontaine laughed. “Master wanted you to have the finest room in the castle. Unfortunately, the TV only gets a few channels. They will still entertain you though.”

            LaFontaine hopped out of Laura’s hand and right onto the bed where a large puff of dust filled the air. They coughed.

            “Oh dear,” they laughed. “We were not expecting guests.”

            Just then, a feather duster flew into the room and started giving some of the surfaces in the bedroom a quick dusting.

            “Hello there darling,” the feather duster said to Laura. Her voice was high and a little shrill to her ears. “Don’t worry. I will have this room spotless in no time!”

            Of course, now there was a talking and flying feather duster too. Laura couldn’t believe her eyes. She didn’t know what to expect next, the TV to talk and ask her what channel she wanted to watch. She wondered what else in the castle was capable of talking. Would she have to have a nightly conversation with her bed as she went to sleep at night?

            The feather duster dusted a few more surfaces before flying over to the bed and landing right next to LaFontaine, falling into their embrace.

            “This plan of yours… seems very dangerous LaFontaine,” the feather duster said in a slightly panicked voice. “I don’t want to be like this forever, but I also do not want to risk the wrath of her majesty.”

            Her majesty? Laura was getting confused. There hadn’t been any… royalty in Canada in ages. Even so, there was never any mention of Silas having a King or Queen. This was making less and less sense to Laura. Talking household items along with royalty. This was absolutely crazy.

            “I would risk anything to kiss you again Perry,” LaFontaine spoke softly.

            The freaking candle- excuse me, candelabra was in a relationship with the feather duster. Laura would’ve laughed if she still wasn’t so freaked out by all of this.

            LaFontaine moved their face closer to the feather duster who Laura had deduced her name as Perry. But Perry stopped them.

            “No darling,” Perry pulled away. “You have hurt me before. We must be strong.”

            “How can I be strong when you make me so weak?”

            Will cleared his throat, reminding the two that they were not alone.

            “Would you two like to be alone?” he asked sarcastically.

            Perry quickly flew out of LaFontaine’s arms and continued to dust the room. That seemed to answer Will’s question and he looked satisfied with it.

            Laura’s head was reeling from everything and she took a step backwards away from the talking objects. She was clearly losing her mind because she was starting to accept the fact and was becoming okay with what were supposed to be inanimate objects walking and talking like a normal human would.

            “Is everything here… alive?”

It took a moment for Laura to find the right word but thought back to what her father said before she took his place. He had warned her that the castle was alive, and he wasn’t wrong.

            She turned towards the vanity and picked up the hairbrush that was on it half expecting it to come alive and start talking to her.

            “Hello, what’s your name?” she asked the hairbrush, but it didn’t move. There was no response from the hairbrush.

            “Ummm… That’s a hairbrush,” Will said and laughed at her.

            Laura wondered how she was supposed to know that when she had thought that LaFontaine and Will were a simple candle and a clock.

            There was the sound of a loud snore behind her. She turned to see the large dresser shake and the doors burst open with a loud voice singing beautifully like it belonged in an opera house.

            Laura shrieked at the dresser and jumped back in surprise and fear.

            “Do not be alarmed Madame,” LaFontaine chuckled. “This is just your wardrobe. Meet Elise De Garderobe. A beautiful singer.”

            “When she can stay awake,” Will mumbled.

            “Your highness,” Elise said. “A diva needs her beauty rrr--”

            Elise let out a large yawn or what Laura thought looked like a yawn. She couldn’t tell exactly where the mouth was on the wardrobe.

            LaFontaine jumped down from the bed and onto the vanity table.

            “Ahhh, don’t be falling asleep now Elise! We have someone for you to dress!”

            What Laura assumed to be Elise’s arms reached up and clapped together in excitement. What a second, Laura thought, it couldn’t have been her that LaFontaine was talking about. Then again, who else could it be?

            The wardrobe walked up to her and reached out, running her hands across Laura’s shoulder and face.

            “Finally,” Elise exaggerated. “A woman with beautiful eyes and a proud face. Perfect canvas. When I am done with you, your look will be worthy that of a princess!”

            Laura laughed.

            “Not me,” she said taking another step back. “I am no princess. Not even close. I’m just a student.”

            “Just a student? Well, all princesses are students. I will check my drawers for you.”

            Elise’s doors flew open again and a few moths flew out.

            “Well,” Elise said lowly. “That is not right. Really rather quiet embarrassing.”

            Without any warning, Elise placed a large hoop over her head. All sorts of fabric flew out the Elise’s doors and drawers, whirling around Laura. Her head was spinning from trying to track it all.

            She was then distracted by a barking noise coming from the hallway and into the room.

            A large piano stool ran into the room like a dog, barking and running right at Elise.

            “Ahhh, little Froufrou, I’m so glad you’re here. Can you come help mama?” Elise called at the piano stool/dog.

            Froufrou started tugging on the fabric surrounding Laura and she wasn’t really sure if the dog was helping or if it was just trying to play tug-of-war with the fabric. However, a few moments later, the fabric stopped spinning around Laura.

            She looked down at herself and couldn’t see much of what was supposed to be an outfit. It looked like it came straight out of the 1700s. It was too floofy and had to many ribbons on it for Laura’s taste. It didn’t seem to fit right either. Maybe it was because she was still wearing her yoga pants and shirt underneath it all.

            Her face turn towards LaFontaine and Will who were grimacing, but then put on a fake smile when they realized that Laura was watching them.

            “It’s lovely,” Will choked out.

            “I think that it suits you just perfect Madame,” LaFontaine cracked. “I absolutely love it!”

            “I’m just not sure ab-“

            “It’s lovely!” LaFontaine shouted and then grabbed Will’s arm, effectively dragging him out of the room. “We will see you later, Madame.”

            LaFontaine made a quick whistling sound and Froufrou perked up and immediately ran out the door.

            “Please let me know if you need anything else cleaned for you,” Perry happily offered before following suit.

            The door slammed shut and now it was just Laura and Elise left in the room.

            Laura turned around to address Elise but was met with a large snoring sound coming from the wardrobe. She was asleep. That was extremely quick.

            No matter how insane this castle was peaking Laura’s curiosity and journalism interest, she couldn’t stay here. Maybe after she came back with the police, she could interview the ‘people’ inside the castle and find out what was really going on. There was no way that this was all real.

            There had to be an explanation behind all of this, and Laura was going to be the one to uncover it… After she got out of here.

            Laura slipped out of the dress and immediately ran to the door and tried to open it, but as she suspected, it was locked from the outside. A little sketchy if you asked her. Yes, the being locked in part, but also the part where someone could possible walk in on her changing or something.

With all these things in the room, there had to be something she could use to help her escape or call for help.

            LaFontaine had been right about the TV. There were very few channels to choose from. She had the options of kid cartoons, adult cartoons, a few sports channels, cooking, a channel that had constant movies listed, one about animals… But there were no news channels or anything that could help her try to escape.

            On another note, hadn’t these people ever heard of Netflix?

            The alarm clock was nothing special, just a digital clock reminding her of all the time that she was away from home and her father.

            The window. She ran over to the window and threw it open. It was just as large as one of the doors to her room. There were no bars or even a window screen. Instead, there was a small balcony that overlooked the castle grounds.

            If she wasn’t being held captive, she could see how beautiful this place was to live in.

            She looked over the railing and almost lost her breath at how far the drop was. It had to be at least a hundred feet tall, so jumping down was not an option.

            It felt like there was no escape at this point until she was given the opportunity to leave the room. She felt defeated.

            This was not going to be easy.

            She walked back into her room and flopped down on the bed. Maybe some rest would give clear her head and give her time to think.

            But she didn’t want to rest until she figured out a way to escape.

            Laura propped herself up on her arms and looked around once more. Her eyes came across the hideous dress that was made for her. It just looked like a bundle of fabric at this point. Then it hit her.

            The dress. The fabric.

            She hopped off the bed and made her way over to the mess of fabric, grabbed a piece in her hands and felt it. This was not cheap fabric. She tugged on it, trying to see if it would rip. When it didn’t, she unraveled the ‘dress’ and made her way over to the balcony.

            The hundred-foot drop to the ground made her stomach churn. She had seen plenty of movies where people used bedsheets and clothes to create a long rope that they used to climb down a window.

            This wasn’t a movie though. However, it seemed to be her only option at this point.

            No, it was stupid. If the fabric ripped or if she lost her grip, she would fall a hundred feet to her death.

            But what other choice did she have? Perhaps she would use this as a last resort escape… Maybe. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of falling a hundred feet though.

             Nope. That wasn’t going to work.

            Laura sighed and walked over the bed, throwing herself head first into the comforter. She had cried enough tears today. There were no more left for her as she drifted off into sleep.

Chapter Text

            The news of Laura’s missing father spread throughout the town very quickly. As soon as she heard the news, Danny grabbed her fellow Summer Society sisters and ran down to the police station to offer their help.

            Even though Danny had felt that she messed up with Laura during their last conversation, she knew that she could win her over. She just had to show her how much she cared for her and that there was no one better for Laura than her.

            Danny had totally got Laura wrong and knew she messed up. She wanted to use this as an opportunity to perhaps help her out and then get a chance to talk to her and try to start over.

            The station was crowded with policemen and people who wanted to help for the search for Laura’s father. Danny hadn’t realized how many people actually cared in the town to help search for Sherman.

            She was filling out some paperwork for the volunteering at one of the officer’s desks for herself and rest of the Summer Society that wanted to come as well.

            “Heard that you took home the gold medal in trap shooting at the fair last year,” Detective Queen said as she signed the last of the paperwork. “Maybe I should enter in the fair this year and give you a run for your money.”

            Danny chuckled.

            “I’d like to see you try Oliver, but we both know that that’s not going to happen. You’re too busy with your job and family. You should just spend the fair day with them.”

            Oliver was a good guy and a few years older than Danny. He used to babysit her and her bothers when they were younger. Over time, they’d gotten to know each other outside of that and created a good friendship. He had quickly made his way through the police force being one of the youngest and quickest to make detective in the Silas Police Force.

            “I see what you’re doing kiddo,” Oliver laughed. “But you’re not wrong. How many years in a row is that?”

            “Five,” Danny smiled. “I’m the best shot in this town.”

            Danny was proud of the five trophies that sat in her room. She really was the best shooter in town. Every year someone else tried to step up and take the gold, and every year she knocked them down as easy as dominos.

            “I have no doubt about that, have you looked into joining the force after you graduate from the university? Sure could use you around here.”

            It was a thought that constantly crossed Danny’s mind. She couldn’t really see herself doing anything else in this town, but she also hadn’t really given much thought to what she really wanted to do with her life. She was just focused on her classes and trying to get through her junior year right now.

            “I won’t deny that I’ve thought about it, but I’m trying to keep all my options open right now. At least until next year.”

            “That’s reasonable,” Oliver responded and collected the paperwork. “I’ll file these, and you should be good to go. You guys will be on the first search starting early tomorrow morning. Meet here at seven am sharp.”

            “Thanks Oliver,” Danny gave him a hug. “I’ll see you around.”

            Danny walked off to join her Summer Society sisters.

            “So, we doing this?” SJ asked her as Danny approached the group.

            “Here. Seven am sharp tomorrow morning,” Danny replied.

            “Seven am,” Mattie groaned. “That’s soooo early. Why did it have to be your crush’s father that got lost?”

            “Mattie,” Betty slapped her arm. “Not cool.”

            “Hey,” Mattie held up her hands in defense. “Didn’t Laura say something to Danny like ‘it’s never gonna happen’? Something along those lines.”

            Danny looked at the ground. Something like that.

            “Not cool,” SJ repeated. “Besides, Laura would so lucky to have Danny as her girlfriend.”

            “There are other girls out there,” Mel suggested.

            “You’re not wrong,” Danny interjected before they could say anything more. “But none of them are like Laura. She’s different. She’s beautiful and smart and she just has an intrigue that no else in this town has.”

            “Gee thanks,” Betty mumbled under her breath.

            “Come on, Bets,” Danny placed her hand on Betty’s shoulder. “That’s just my opinion. It doesn’t mean that it’s true. Also, you don’t swing for my team. It just sucks because I know that Laura and I could be really good together if she just gave us a chance. She doesn’t even want to do that.”

            Danny stared hard at the poster board ahead. She didn’t want on it right now. She just wanted to get out there and look for Laura’s father. If she happened to be the one to find him… That would be even better and make her look better in Laura’s eyes. She could try to be her hero.

            “I hate seeing you like this,” SJ said. “You’re seriously one of the best girls in this town. Everyone loves you and is inspired by you.”

            “Yea,” Mel added. “You’re one of the hottest girls in this town. You can hold your own in a fight, you’re a hell of a shooter and you have your family’s namesake. The Lawrence name has a lot of pull in this town.”

            “Seriously Danny,” Betty said. “Any girl in this town would be lucky to have you. I’m sure if we weren’t straight, we’d all be all over you.”

            “Agreed,” SJ and Mel said at the same time.

            Danny smiled and pulled them all in for a hug.

            “You guys are the best.”

            “We know,” Mattie retorted.

            “Be quiet Mattie,” Mel shoved her playfully. “You haven’t said one good thing this entire conversation.”

            “I’m just spitting out the truth, if you can’t handle it, that’s not my fault.”

            Danny chuckled.

            “I do appreciate that Mattie, I really do.”

            “Even if Laura were interested in someone else,” Mattie continued. “I’m sure once they found out that you were pursuing her, they’d back off quick. You can be intimidating sometimes.”

            Danny pulled Mattie into her side.

            “I’m going to take that a compliment. Thanks Mattie. Really, thanks guys. I really needed this. I know that I’m pretty amazing, but it’s good to hear from people outside of my own head.”

            They all laughed.

            Danny really loved these gals. They were cool and always helped her out in the tough spots in life. Mattie was a year older than she was and really was going to miss seeing her around campus next year. Even though she was a total pain in the ass most of the time, she could dish it as well as she could take it and she always told you truth. It was her best quality.

            Both SJ and Betty were in the same year as her and they’d all been through the same struggles over the last three years. She probably wouldn’t have made it through school without them.

            Mel as a year younger than her like Laura and she reminded her and herself when she was in the Summer Society the past few years. Danny was trying to mentor Mel and get her to be the next Summer Society President. Danny wanted to leave a legacy and also wanted to leave the Summer Society better than when she had joined it.

            “I’d totally say yes if you asked me out on a date,” Mel laughed. “If I swung that way.”

            Danny raised her eyebrow at Mel.

            “Ahhh, was that weird?” Mel asked.

            “Just a little,” Danny replied.

            “Totally,” SJ answered.

            “Embarrassing,” Mattie sighed.

            Danny looked a Mel as she hung her head.

            “It’s alright Mel, we all have off days.”

            “Well we can all agree that Laura is an idiot, right?” Mel tried to come back.

            “For sure, she’ll never meet anyone better than Danny. Have you seen those good looks and muscles? I mean, you eat nothing but protein shakes for breakfast. You could have any girl you want in this town!” SJ hit Danny’s arm.

            “Guys, come on,” Danny sighed sarcastically. “That’s enough.”

            “I don’t think it is,” SJ sang.

            “Yea Danny,” Betty added on. “You have incredibly good grades too. Smart, pretty and strong. Who could ask for more?”

            “Laura, apparently,” Danny frowned.

            “Dannnyyy,” Betty whined. “Stop moping about it. You’ll win her over.”

            “Just don’t annoy her too much about,” Mattie retorted.

            “I’m sure in time, she’ll find out that you’re the best in town,” Mel said deflecting Mattie’s comment.

            “How are you all still single?” Danny laughed.

            “I’ve been told I’m clingy,” Mel responded.

            “Some guy told everyone that I was super high maintenance,” SJ scoffed.

            “Apparently I’m too oblivious to guys,” Betty laughed.

            There was a moment of silence as they all looked towards Mattie expecting an answer out of her too.

            Mattie rolled her eyes and sighed.

            “I’ve been told that I’m a bitch.”

            They all erupted in laughter.

            Danny knew that those were all completely true. She still encouraged her friends to put themselves out there though. They would find someone someday. Just like Danny had. Once Danny had her mind set to something, she would get it.

            The doors to police station swung open and Danny couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Sherman Hollis. It was Laura’s father. It was the man that they all had setup a search party for.

            Danny was extremely grateful to see that he was alive, but also was slightly upset that she had not been the one to find him. It would’ve earned her at least another chance to talk to Laura.

            “Help,” Sherman shouted, and everyone’s eyes turned to him. Many of them shocked or confused or relieved. “I need a squadron of officers. We have to hurry!”

Sherman was bent over, holding his side and it looked like he was barely able to stand on his own. His fingers were black and blue, and he started coughing really hard into his arm. A look of pain shooting across his face.
            Oliver ran out of his office and put Sherman’s arm around him.

            “We can talk about what’s going on later, I think we need to get you to a hospital right now,” Oliver said with concern.

            “It’s got Laura locked away in a tower,” Sherman yelled out.

            Laura? Locked in a tower? That caught Danny’s attention really quick. She had just seen her earlier today and she didn’t look locked up to Danny.

            “Who are you talking about Sherman? Why would someone lock Laura… in a tower?” Oliver stuttered with confusion.

            Danny didn’t blame him. It sounded ridiculous like it was right out of some fairytale book. Also, as far as Danny knew, there weren’t any towers in Silas except for the clocktower, but Danny had a feeling that was not what he meant.

            “A beast,” Sherman yelled. “A monster with red eyes and fangs and claws! But it walked and talked like a human being.”

            The station fell quiet.

            Danny couldn’t help but laugh to herself a little. A beast locked Laura in a tower? That was just stupid.

            “Uhhhh,” Oliver looked like he didn’t know what to say. “I think you’ve hit your head a little too hard there Sherman.”

            The station filled with laughter.

            “I really think he needs to go to a hospital,” Danny spoke up.

            “No, no hospital,” Sherman insisted and then coughed. “We need to go get Laura. Her life is in danger and you’re all laughing at me like this is some kind of joke! There is a castle hidden in the woods. It’s somehow snowing there already. Don’t you see the frostbite on my fingers?!”

            Danny observed his fingers once more. She wasn’t sure what frostbite was supposed to look like, but it certainly did look like his fingers had been through some shit.

            “Snowing in April?” an officer in the crowd commented. “That’s impossible.”

            “A castle in the middle of the Silas forest? Don’t you think that someone would have seen it by now?” someone else in the crowd added.

            “I really think you hit your head too hard there Sherman,” Oliver tried to usher him out the door. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

            “I didn’t hit my head to hard,” Sherman yelled and removed his arm from around Oliver. “I’m not crazy! The beast and her castle are real. Why don’t you get it? Will someone, anyone please help me?”

            Oliver tried to reach his hand out to Sherman, but he backed away.

            “Look Sherman, we know that your daughter ran off with one of the firefighter’s ATVs. There’s a tracker on it and we’ll find her in no time. There was a little glitch in the system earlier, but the boys at the fire station are working on getting it back up.”

            “A firefighter ATV? You mean the on-“ Sherman stopped for a moment and grabbed his side again.

            Danny immediately rushed over and placed his arm over her shoulders supporting him. Maybe Danny didn’t believe that there was a castle and a beast, but if Laura was in danger, she would do everything to help him.

            “You mean,” Sherman continued. “The one that I parked out in front because my daughter came to get me and instead, got locked up!”

            Oliver was quiet for a moment.

            “Sherman… I think you really need to get checked up.”

            “I don’t need to go to the hospital. I need to find Laura. I need to go save her from that beast in that castle. It’s all true. I sw-“

            “I’ll take him to the hospital,” Danny interrupted.

            “What did I just say?” Sherman shouted and tried to remove his arm like he did Oliver’s, but Danny just grabbed it, looked him in the eye and winked.

            Sherman stopped moving and looked confused.

            “Just go along with it,” Danny mumbled under her breath.

            “Will you do that? Will you let Danny take you to the hospital?” Oliver asked with hope.

            “I-I-,” Sherman stuttered and then looked at Danny in the eye again.

            She did her best to communicate with her eyes that all she wanted to do was help him find Laura and return her safely home. Maybe the message wouldn’t get across like she expected, but she had to try and convince him without letting everyone know what she was up to without actually talking.

            Sherman hung his head and shook it.

            “I’ll go with Danny,” he said quietly.

            “Thank you,” Oliver placed his hand on Sherman’s shoulder. “Once you’ve gotten looked at, we can talk about what happened to Laura. You’re of no use to her like this.”

            Oliver looked up at Danny, gave her a nod and mouthed ‘thank you’ to her. She felt kind of guilty tricking Oliver like this, but no matter what was going on, if Laura was in danger, she had to help.

            Besides, she could not only score some point with her father, but she could also possibly be her hero.

            Danny looked up and searched for Mel. Once she made eye contact with her, she motioned with her head to follow her. Almost immediately, Mel got up and started towards the door.

            With Sherman’s arm around her, Danny led him outside and towards the parking lot where her car waited.

            Once Mel caught up with them, Danny placed Sherman’s arm around Mel’s shoulders so she could get her car keys out.

            “So,” Danny said. “Where is this castle?”

            Mel shot her a look and Danny shot her one back.

            Danny could find Laura. Hopefully Sherman hadn’t totally lost his mind and could at least take them to the last spot that he saw Laura before losing her.

            “I’ll have to show you the exact path I went on, so let’s go back to the road that I crashed at. That should be a good start.”

            They both helped Sherman get in the back seat and once the door was shut, Mel grabbed Danny’s arm and pulled her to the side away so that he couldn’t hear.

            “What are you thinking?” Mel whispered angrily. “Do you really believe this man babbling about towers and beasts?”

            “Of course not,” Danny scoffed. “But that doesn’t mean that the part about Laura being in danger isn’t true. You saw the ATV parked out front. If Laura stole that, then how is she going to get back? How do we know that she isn’t lost in the woods?”

            Mel thought about it for a moment.

            “Okay, say you’re right, we can’t just go into the woods all willy nilly.”

            “You’re right which is why we’re going to stop by home really quick and grab our guns so that way we are not just going into the woods ‘all willy nilly’.”

            Mel’s face looked like she had finally got.

            “Also,” Danny continued. “I really could use an in with Laura right now since the fight we had earlier today. I’m sure helping her father and her would go a really long way with her. Don’t get me wrong, I want to make sure Laura is okay, but there’s no way she wouldn’t give her rescuer a chance to take her out on a date.”

            “Ahhh,” Mel nodded. “I’m tracking. Let’s go do this.”

Chapter Text

            Carmilla paced around her room. She didn’t know how to react to this situation. There was the initial shock from finding the old man on her grounds, but now the young girl- Laura. She had to be about the same age as her… as she was before her life was changed.

No one had crossed onto her land in centuries. She had assumed the magic of the castle shrouded the land from prying eyes. Maybe she was wrong, but she knew deep down that she wasn’t. But she refused to believe that Laura was here for a reason. After all, it wasn’t even Laura that first stumbled upon her castle, it had been her father.

The girl was young and naïve. She had her whole life ahead of her and yet she gave it all up for her old, withering father. Her choice was impulsive and reckless without a thought to her own life. Carmilla never would have imagined someone to such a thing like Laura had.

            When Carmilla had implicated the question of why she took his place, she had looked at her in surprise, like an explanation wasn’t needed. A mere, “he’s my dad” was sufficient enough as an answer.

            Even after the gate was closed, Carmilla could see that despite the tears, Laura didn’t second guess her own decision. It was like being family was enough. The look her eyes could only be described as one thing Carmilla had never felt before… Love. She had seen it before in some of the people around her, but never had anyone looked upon her like that.

            It was weakness. The girl had given up all of her worth because of her father. However, she couldn’t deny that there was a look of determination in her eye as she glared at Carmilla. It was… intriguing. This girl believed that she was being so brave, but she wasn’t.

             The bravery was a façade. That much was clear when she looked upon her face. It was a look that was burned in her memory now- the flash of disgust and horror that flew across her face when she finally looked at her under the light. She couldn’t help but compare it to the look that Elle had given her when she tried to reach out for help and explain her situation to her.

            Elle had run off and Carmilla never saw her again.

            Carmilla stared at the rose that she had encased in glass. She thought that it would have withered and died by now, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, she really wished that it would already. Each petal was a symbol of hope- hope that she didn’t need or want. After a few centuries, she just wanted the torture to end. Hope was dangerous and weak. Carmilla had wanted to let it go for a long time now, but she couldn’t with the petals on the rose. She hated the feeling, she hated that she couldn’t let it go.

            It didn’t help that a beautiful, naïve girl stumbled across her castle. That that girl seemed so full of happiness and hope, uncrushed by being held prisoner in place of her father. The promise of escape had to be heavy on her shoulders. No one left the castle without her permission or her knowledge.

            This girl was different from anyone that she had ever met.

            It was no wonder LaFontaine was able to talk her into giving Laura one of the rooms in the castle. She was already interested in the way Laura acted, to keep a girl as pretty- no- as intriguing as her in the castle tower was… disrespectful.

            Carmilla had went to inform her of this, but she couldn’t approach her. The sound of the girl’s sniffles and tears hitting the cold, stone floor filled her ears. She hadn’t realized that Carmilla was there. Her back was to the her and her face was buried in her hands. Her breathing was quick, her heartbeat was erratic. Carmilla couldn’t approach her like that so she didn’t.

            Something almost made her feel for Laura. She lost her father and based on their last interaction, it seemed that Laura’s mother was no longer in the picture either. It only for a moment that she felt bad for, Carmilla didn’t know why. She shook of the feelings reminding herself that Laura had made this decision herself. Feelings were never something she had cared much for after losing all human interaction.

            Maybe she missed it.

            Carmilla growled at herself, pulling herself out of her thoughts. A familiar burn started to build in her throat. That same hunger and thirst every day that reminded her just how much of a beast she really was.

            A hungry Carmilla was even more dangerous with their new guest in the castle. She may have locked the girl up, but she didn’t wish any physical harm on her. Not only was she was never around living, breathing human beings for long periods of time, she hadn’t been around humans in a very long time.

            Carmilla walked swiftly through the castle towards the dining hall, hearing all the sounds in the castle. She could hear Laura up in the room that LaFontaine had given her, breathing, her heart beating… She closed her fist tightly, feeling her claws dig deeply into her skin. She wished that she could break the skin. She had to focus on something else and ignore the sound of a beating heart within the walls of the castle… If Laura already believed her to be beast now, Carmilla could only imagine what she would think if…

            The bustle of the kitchen got louder as she moved closer to her destination.

            “Mama,” she heard Theo say. “There’s a girl in the castle!”

            It seemed that everyone was extremely excited about this, except herself.

            “Yes, Theo,” his mother, Mrs. Potts replied. “We are all aware of the new guest in the castle. No need to get so worked up right now. Slow down.”

            “What’s she like mama? Is she pretty? Is she nice? Do you think that she’ll want us to bring her some tea?”

            “Oh, shush now dear boy, I haven’t met her yet, but I’m sure that we will soon enough. She’s going to be here for a while.”

            Carmilla did her best to tune out the rest of the conversation as Theo’s curiosity only furthered her own. Curiosity killed the cat… right?

            She had only had one real interaction with the girl and there was bound to be more now that LaFontaine had convinced her to let her roam about the castle now. Maybe she should have left her in the tower for at least one night. No, that wouldn’t be… right.

            Laura was beautiful and even in the dark, dampness of the tower she gave off a light like a ball of sunshine. Carmilla knew that she would get burned if she tried to touch it, but there was something about it that seemed… inevitable. She couldn’t pin her finger on it though.

            She shook her head at herself for leading her thoughts down this road.

            Carmilla threw the doors to the dining hall open, approaching her seat.

            There was an unfamiliar smell coming from the kitchen. She still smelled that sweet smell of her dinner being prepared, but there was something else too. It smelled like they were cooking actual food in the kitchen. Chicken and pasta.

            Well, the girl certainly couldn’t live off the diet that Carmilla did.

            As she sat down, she looked upon the long table to see that her nice glassware and crystal were all setup on it. She didn’t need the fancy stuff just to eat another day’s dinner. Whoever had set this all up was incompetent.

            Her confusion was cleared up until she looked up the table further to find that another plate set had been set on the opposite end of where she sat. Candles had also been placed in the center of table, already lit for dinner.

            Carmilla furrowed her eyebrows. LaFontaine… Ridiculous. There was no way that Carmilla was about to eat dinner with her new prisoner. She didn’t want to, and she couldn’t expect that Laura would want to either.

            Dinner would lead to talking or yelling. Questions that Carmilla wouldn’t answer. It was too soon.

            LaFontaine just would never be able to understand it.

            Carmilla gave a low roar, rose up from her chair and angrily swatted her place setting with the back of her hand, sending it across the room to crash into the wall and shattering into many pieces.

            She may have been okay with giving Laura a room and letting her sleep comfortably, but she was not okay with her being invited to eat dinner with her. Laura should be comfy for the time being because if she was going to be here and serve her, she might as well let her sleep nicely, but that was it. Dinner was not going to happen.

Carmilla had to remind herself that Laura put herself in this situation by choosing to pay for her father’s crimes, but Carmilla still felt… sympathetic. Someone had to pay, but Carmilla couldn’t ignore the tightness that came across her chest.

            Her father had trespassed and attempted to steal something from her. No matter the time period, no one would be getting away with that on Carmilla’s land. It was her land and hers only. This was the only place she had. It seemed that it would be the last thing that she had left after the last rose petal falls.

            Carmilla stared at the broken pieces of the dinnerware for a moment before turning her anger towards the kitchen.

            “LAFONTAINE,” Carmilla roared as she threw her chair behind her and stalked into the kitchen. “JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

            She locked eyes with the candelabra but could see Will shaking in terror right next to them. What a pathetic excuse for what was once her little brother.

            “WHY IS THE CRYSTAL OUT AND WHY IS THERE TWO PLACE SETTINGS AT MY DINING TABLE?” she roared.

            LaFontaine did was not phased by her shouting.

            “We thought that it might be a good idea for Laura to join you for dinner this evening. Some company for dinner would be nice, no?” they answered calmly.

            “Carmilla,” Will tried to sound more confident than he was. “My dearest sister, I can assure you that I did not want to partake in this horrible plan. The dinner and the gown--”

            “You gave her new clothes?” Carmilla growled but was no longer roaring at them. That did not nearly make her as angry as them trying to bring the girl- Laura, to join her for dinner.

            “No, no,” Will quickly said. “They gave her new clothes. Like I said, none of this was my idea. I told them it was a bad idea.”

            “Look, master,” LaFontaine spoke slowly. “it is true, but I believe that this girl could really help break the curse that was put upon us all those years ago. You know, all it really has to start with is dinner and conversation. Give her some of the natural Karnstein charm you are known for.”

            “Were known for…” Carmilla mumbled under her breath then turned to them in disbelief. “Break the curse? There is no way that that naïve, annoying shrill of a girl could help me break the curse. I didn’t keep her here to break the curse. Besides, it’s too late for me. No dinner, no conversation, no girl is going to change that. Also, I would never let her watch me dine, could you imagine her horror. I can’t believe you would think of such a preposterous idea.”

            “Your majesty,” LaFontaine said softly. “You’re not the only one involved in this curse. Every day that goes by is another day that we become less and less human. As for the diet dilemma, we made a plan to integrate your unique diet into a meal that looks normal.”

            “You’re not the one that the curse was made for LaF!”

            “I hate to agree with them,” Will interjected. “But, they’re right sister. While it may have been you that the enchantress meant to hurt, we were all caught up in it.”

            Carmilla scoffed at the both of them. No one seemed to understand the position she was in, no one could understand it. Sure, Laura was beautiful, and she couldn’t deny a certain pull that the girl had, but she was a common girl. A student as she had heard her say before with a thief for a father. A thief for a father, that only made her less desirable to anyone.

            “She’s the daughter a common thief,” she said voicing her thoughts to them. “What kind of person does that make her? She’s not here to break the curse and I wouldn’t want her too.

            “Then why is she here,” Mrs. Potts asked. “You could’ve kept her father here instead of her. And we all know too well that we can’t judge a person by who their parents are, isn’t that right?”

            Carmilla was hit by those loaded questions. The offer to let her take her father’s place was completely impromptu. That was something that she would have never done before. Laura was here to… She was here to help her with everything once the castle staff became… nothing. She was here just for that, but she would be lying to herself if she believed that was the only reason. A part of her missed human interaction, but she would never reveal that to anyone.

            As for judging someone by who their parents are… Mrs. Potts was right, Carmilla knew all too well about that.

            The tension in the room rose as the silence grew longer and Carmilla’s face grew more and more frustrated. The kitchen staff just looked like they were waiting for Carmilla to do something. Instead, she scoffed at them and turned back to the dining hall.

            “Someone get another crystal place settings and clean up the one on the floor,” she growled.

            She heard as the entire kitchen let out their breaths and cheered with glee, resisting the urge to silence them all with a roar.

            Perhaps eating dinner with Laura wasn’t an awful idea. She should get to know the girl if she was going to be here for a long period of time, the sooner she could get them both used to the time, the better.

            LaFontaine followed her out the kitchen and just as she was about to open the dining hall doors, LaFontaine stopped her.

            “Wait,” LaFontaine hopped in front of her. “Where are you going master?”

            “To ask the girl to join me for dinner of course,” she said confidently.

            “Her name is Laura. And just how do you plan to do that?” Mrs. Potts asked as she rolled out from the kitchen.

            “I-,” Carmilla paused. “I’m not sure, but I’ll figure it out when I get up there.”

            Carmilla exited the dining hall, heading to the east wing where Laura’s room was located. She truly had no idea how to do this.

            “You can’t just not go up there without a plan, master,” Carmilla heard Kirsch join the group that was heading up with her. “You have to impress her.”

            “I know how to ask a girl to dinner Kirsch,” Carmilla growled at the coatrack. “I was taught to impress people long before you knew how to walk.”

            “Let’s see it then master,” LaFontaine chided ignoring her sarcasm.

            “I don’t need an audience for this,” Carmilla lowered her voice once they made it to Laura’s room.

            “Shhh,” LaFontaine said. “Go on.”

            Carmilla walked up to the door and unlocked it but didn’t open it. That would be rude, but she shouldn’t care about whether she was being rude or not. She was a fucking queen- almost queen. This was absolutely dumb. She didn’t need to do this. Laura would probably say no. There was no way that she would want to join her for dinner after the day she had. Carmilla didn’t want to give her a chance to say no. She couldn’t say no if Carmilla demanded it of her. She was in charge around here.

            She placed two quick, loud knocks on the door.

            “You will join me for dinner,” Carmilla roared through the door. “That is not a request.”

            Carmilla heard the little entourage behind her sigh in disappointment.

            “You have to play it cool, Master,” Kirsch said. “That was way too aggressive there, bro.”

            Kirsch really needed to lay off the reality TV. Carmilla had yet to go through with destroying all the TVs that popped up in the house. Only the one in her room was successfully shattered.

            “Or,” Mrs. Potts interjected. “Be gentle. You can’t forget that the girl lost her father and her freedom all in one day.”

            “Yes,” LaFontaine said. “The poor girl has been crying all day and this is all new to her. She is probably very frightened right now.”

            Carmilla looked between the two of them and nodded. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself still thinking that this was a ridiculous idea. Maybe their way would work better, as Laura seemed to ignore her when she banged on the door. If it didn’t… Someone was going to pay for their stupid idea.

            She reached up and placed two gentle knocks on the door.

            There was a moment before Laura replied with “Just a minute”.

            All of the people behind her, smiled and squealed with glee.

            “There she is,” LaFontaine encouraged her. “You just had to be gentle. Keep that up and you’ll do just fine.”

            “Keep it cool, bro,” Kirsch stated and Carmilla bared her teeth at him. “Sorry, I totally meant master.”

            “Just be kind,” Mrs. Potts suggested.

            “And don’t forget to turn on that Karnstein charm,” LaFontaine added.

            “Being sweet works too, dear sister,” Will said giving his two cents as well.

            “And when she opens the door, just give her the classic Princess Carmilla smile that made all the girls fall for you. Come on, show us that smile,” LaFontaine pressed.

            Carmilla grumbled. She hadn’t used that smile since she grew fangs. Showing her teeth usually meant that she was trying to intimidate someone.

            But she turned to her staff and tried to give them all a smile.

            They all gasped in horror. She growled and closed her mouth. She knew that this was bad idea.

            Carmilla turned back to the door ignoring their reactions.

            “Will you join me for dinner,” Carmilla asked as she looked at LaFontaine who gave her one of their looks. “… Please.”

            It took everything in her not to growl that last word out.

            She heard a scuffle to the door.

            “Are you kidding me,” Laura asked obviously annoyed through the door. “You hurt my father, take me prisoner for life- mind you- and now you’re asking me to come join you for dinner now? Are you that stupid or are you just completely insane?”

            Carmilla pressed her teeth together as her eyebrow twitched. How many times did she have to tell herself that this was a terrible fucking idea? She curled her hands into a fist, her claws sinking themselves into her own skin.

            A low growl started to form in her throat as the anger in her started to build. A simple no would have sufficed but instead, she had to add on. She might as well as told her to fuck off. This is why she didn’t want to make it a request, she can say no to a request, but she can’t say no to a demand.

            “Oh no, no, no,” Perry whispered behind her. “This isn’t good. She won’t be able to hold it together.”

            Carmilla barred her teeth and growled loudly through the door, taking one of her fists and pounding on her door again a few times.

            “I told you to come to dinner,” she growled loudly.

            Carmilla heard three loud bangs back on the door.

            “Do I have to make myself clearer? NO,” Laura yelled. “I’d would much rather sit here and starve than have to join you for dinner.”

            “Well then fucking starve,” Carmilla roared. “I don’t give a shit!”

            She whirled around. It was all these fucking idiots that made her think she could do this when everything in her head was telling her that she couldn’t. If they wanted this to happen then they would have to deal with the repercussions. They could deal with the guilt of watching Laura starve tonight.

            A low, menacing growl left her throat as she stalked off. Suddenly, she was more aware of how hungry she actually was and Laura’s heartbeat through the walls was getting louder in her ears. She had to make sure to quench her thirst and hunger more often now that Laura was here.

            She made eye contact with all of the staff as she quickly walked off.

            “Unless she eats with me, she doesn’t get one crumble of food! Not one you imbecilic fools!”

            Carmilla didn’t even wait for a reply. They got it. There would be consequences if they didn’t and they knew exactly what that it was.

            She raced to the dining hall, grabbed a large glass and crashed through the kitchen doors. Her idiot of a staff made her wait for dinner. They were all lucky that they were pieces of furniture otherwise they could’ve been her next meal.

            “I need this glass full now JP,” she yelled at her stove.

            “Of course, master,” the stove replied and reached on top of himself, removing the pot from the flame and pouring the liquid into her glass, filling it to the brim.

            Carmilla quickly chugged down the glass, letting the warm fluid fill her stomach and quench her hunger.

            But even as she finished her glass, she could still hear Laura’s heartbeat through the castle walls.

            “Another!” she roared.

            JP quickly poured her another glass.

            She brought it to her nose and let the sweet smell fill her lungs, Laura’s heartbeat slowly fading away. She took a small sip and savored the taste as she walked back out the kitchen and to her room in the west wing, the glass still in her hand.

            Most of her anger went with her hunger, but she was still fuming when she got to her room. She paced her room as she sipped on her drink only stopping when her drink was finished. In anger, she turned and threw the glass across the room, shattering against the portrait of her family that she had destroyed many, many years ago.

            She pounced over to the balcony where the rose encased in glass lied, picking up the hand mirror that was there.

            There was something about Laura that just frustrated Carmilla so much. She couldn’t understand what it was and why she was feeling the way she was feeling. Laura was just a small, human girl after all. What was so special about her to get Carmilla this riled up?

            Maybe it was because she wasn’t used to people telling her no. No, that wasn’t it.

            She looked into the mirror, grimacing at her own face and how horrifying she looked.

            “Show me the girl,” she spoke to the mirror.

            The image in the mirror shimmer and shifted from her own face to seeing Laura sitting in on the couch in the room, her hand in between her fists, tears falling down her face.

            Carmilla shook her head at herself as the image faded. As if she hadn’t made the girl cry enough already today. She had to go and make things worse. Seeing Laura like this was crushing her for some reason.

            If Laura was going to spend the rest of her life here with her and eventually become the only person that Carmilla ever interacted with, she would have to make things better for Laura, better for the both of them.

            She looked back at the mirror, but only saw her own reflection. She hated herself like this. She hated what the enchantress had turned her into. This was a punishment worse than death and there was nothing she could do about it. It was nightmare that she wanted to escape but was trapped.

            Carmilla put the mirror back down on the table, staring at the rose in front of her. Most of the petals had withered and died. Only a few left still bloomed on the stem. She didn’t hate what the enchantress had turned her into, what she had let herself be turned into.

            She had only done everything that she thought was best for her kingdom. Everything she was taught was for kingdom. The kingdom couldn’t be successful unless she and the castle looked the part. It wasn’t selfish or cruel if it was for the people.

            Carmilla shook her head, maybe she was wrong. She had been led to believe that she was always in the right as the future queen. There was a part of her that believed she might have been selfish and cruel to her people, but the other part of her whispered to her that she wasn’t, that she was right and could justify her actions.

            If she was right though, then none of this would have ever happened, so it only came to two conclusions; either Carmilla was completely wrong or the enchantress had targeted the wrong person.

            There was a feeling deep, deep down that Carmilla knew she had been wrong about her actions, but then it would lead her down a road of unhappiness and insecurity that she couldn’t let herself go down. Or could she?

            Maybe she didn’t have to go down that road alone.

            Carmilla sighed as she watched as another rose petal fell from the stem.

            The castle shook and she heard the falling and crumbling of the stone walls around her.

-------

            The rumbles of the castle were felt by everyone. LaFontaine turned too their fellow staff members know exactly what this meant.

            “Another petal… gone,” they pointed out to the group.

            “I just clean myself up yesterday and pluck three feathers, now they’re already grown back,” Perry complained.

            LaFontaine moved to go help their partner, but almost tripped over themselves as their legs had grown stiffer and they felt like each movement was getting harder and harder to make.

            They held one of their candles to their leg, using the heat to effectively make it feel better.

            “I know sweetheart,” LaFontaine said as they placed themselves next to Perry. “I can feel myself getting stiffer and stiffer each day, more metal growing in me. My movements are getting harder to do.”

            LaFontaine heard Will start ticking funny.

            “Ahhhh,” he yelled. “Not again.”

            Will started chiming at random, his cuckoo bird popping out of his nose and making loud noises.

            If it weren’t so tragic, LaFontaine would’ve laughed at their friend.

            “It’s not over yet,” Mrs. Potts stated. “We won’t give up until the last petal falls. There is still time.”

            LaFontaine and Will looked at each other. They must’ve been thinking the same thing.

            They didn’t want to say it out loud, but even though they weren’t giving up, it seems that Carmilla was still hopeless and full of despair like she had been for the least three hundred years.

            Will had a conversation with LaFontaine earlier about lasting a lot longer than they had never expected to live, so perhaps they were able to hold on longer now too.

            “Mama,” LaF heard Theo next to his mother, fear in his voice. “Am I ever going to be a real boy again?”

            Mrs. Potts looked up at LaFontaine who tried to give her an encouraging look but failing judging by the fallen look of her face.

            “Don’t worry my boy,” she finally responded. “You’ll be able to run and around my play all those sports you see on TV soon. Your mama has got this.”

            LaFontaine made eye contact with Mrs. Potts again and they seemed to understand the message that she was sending them.

            It seemed that Laura was their last and only hope.

Chapter Text

            Laura leaned against the bedroom door when she heard the beast stalk away, angry that Laura didn’t want to join her for dinner.

            The beast expected her to listen to her every command while Laura was trapped here in the castle? Laura wouldn’t be having any of that. She wasn’t just some human that the beast could boss around.

            It was like she was trying to make all of this somewhat normal which was completely insane. Laura would never accept that she would be trapped her for the rest of her life. She would get out of here eventually.

            As she leaned on the door, she knew that it was a long shot, but she reached up and pulled on the door knob. Surprisingly, the door opened.

            Laura’s eyes grew wide. The beast must’ve unlocked the door for her when she thought that Laura was going to be joining her for dinner. Maybe this was her chance to escape. She could finally get home to her father.

            She ran over to Elise, who was still asleep, and Laura slowly rummaged through the drawers. It felt like Laura was violating Elise’s privacy. She wasn’t sure what part of Elise held all of the clothes, but Laura needed some warmer clothes. She wasn’t going to try and figure out the anatomy of a person turned to a piece of furniture.

            There was nice pair of snow boots and a large yellow winter coat that Laura found. Yellow. Her favorite color. She wondered if Elise had known that or if it was just a coincidence.

            Laura slowly opened the door of her bedroom, looking from side-to-side to see if there was anyone there. No beast. No walking or talking household items. She quickly and quietly slipped into the hallway, her back against the wall keeping any eye out for anyone or anything that could catch her trying to leave.

            It wasn’t easy. Laura still had no idea what items in the castle walked and talked and which ones didn’t. She couldn’t believe her actual thought process right now. Things walking and talking like humans, it was so weird.

            She had almost reached the end of the hallway.

            Laura jumped as she heard a loud cough of someone behind her. She whirled around and saw a large tea cart rolling down the hallway towards her.

            Dang it. Someone had caught her. It was just a little cart that she could definitely knock over and then outrun, but she also would feel bad if she knocked this cart over. She had seen the anger in the beast’s eyes and couldn’t imagine what she did to those who defied her.

            It wasn’t a cart though that was alive. As the cart rolled closer, she saw a large teapot on the top of it that had a face and was smiling at her. Laura couldn’t believe that she could see a smile on the teapot’s face. She just had to stop being surprised at anything by this point.

            “Uh, hello there,” Laura sheepishly said, her heart racing at getting caught.

            “Hello darling,” the teapot replied. “No need to worry, it’s little old Mrs. Potts.”

            Laura noticed that there was also a tiny tea cup rustling from behind Mrs. Potts. It popped it’s head out and then bounded up to the edge of the cart.

            “You are very pretty,” the chip teacup voiced and smiled. “I’m Theo.”

            “Uhh, well thank you,” Laura replied adjusting her winter coat as if she was trying to hide it which was ridiculous. There was no hiding wearing a large winter coat and looking suspicious leaving her room.

            “It is so nice to finally meet you,” Mrs. Potts said. “You really are lovely.”

            Mrs. Potts eye’s fell to her feet on her winter boots and Laura watched as her face fell into a sad and unhopefully look.

            There was no hiding what she was planning now.

            “You know,” Mrs. Potts said sullenly. “It’s not an easy path back to the town. Why don’t we go fix you something up in your room before you head out? Sometimes all it takes is a good ‘ol cup of tea to really clear the mind.”

            Only for a moment, Laura thought, a warm cup of tea sounded nice before treading through the snow in the woods. There was no hint of deception on Mrs. Potts face, so she decided that a moment for tea in her room wasn’t a bad idea. It might give her some more time and perhaps the beast would be asleep when she made her escape.

            They walked back to her room and Laura took a seat on the couch, Mrs. Potts and Theo pulling up next to her on the cart.

            Laura watched as Mrs. Potts turned herself to the side and poured the steaming liquid into Theo who smiled and shivered as the tea flowed.

            The cart rolled even closer to Laura.

            “Thank you,” Laura said as she picked up the cup. “But have you ever had hot chocolate? It’s a lot tastier and sweeter than tea. It helped me great through some of my late-night studying sessions.”

            “I’ve never had the pleasure of trying the stuff myself,” Mrs. Potts smiled. “But I’ve heard all sorts of good things about it. Be careful there Theo.”

            Theo giggled as Laura took a sip of the tea.

            “It is so nice to meet you miss,” Theo said enthusiastically as he stared inches away from her face. “Do you want to see this trick I can do?”

            Laura guessed that Theo was a little kid based on the way he acted. Out of everyone she met, she hadn’t thought that there would be children here or what she thought was a child. That was one thing she still didn’t understand. She didn’t know how human they were or how many of them there were.

            Theo made a face like he was concentrating really hard and Laura watched as a large bubble formed that the top of the cup and started growing up there was a small pop as the bubble burst.

            They both giggled as they got a disapproving look from Mrs. Potts and Laura set Theo back down on the cart.

            “You are free to walk about the castle as you like, you know?” Mrs. Potts said. “You may be stuck here, but you’re welcome to walk about as you please.”

            Laura nodded. The beast and the castle staff must’ve had enough belief that Laura would never be able to make her way through the surrounding wood or not be brave enough to try. They were so wrong. Laura would be making her way out here soon and it looked like the staff wouldn’t be trying to stop her if Mrs. Potts was any indication. 

            A few moments of silence passed before Mrs. Potts spoke again.

            “I heard about what happened in the tower,” she said slowly. “It was incredibly brave of you to take your father’s place. I don’t know many people who would do that.”

            “It really was,” Laura heard Elise speak from behind here. “Everyone is the castle thinks so.”

            Laura sighed as she thought about her father. He really was her life right now and he wasn’t looking too well when she last saw him. His health had been declining for a while now and walking through the snow and being locked a cold cell couldn’t have helped at all.

            Even though Laura had moved out a while ago, he had never really been all alone until now. She was only a short drive away from him and visited him as often as she could. Now he was without her. She wasn’t sure how well he would do without her.

            “Ever since we lost our mother,” Laura stated. “We’ve only had each other. I’m worried about him.”

            “Oh darling,” Mrs. Potts said with sympathy. “I’m sure that things will all work out in the end. Why don’t we get some sustenance in you? You’ll feel better on a full stomach.”

            Laura cocked her head. The staff was disobeying the beast’s orders. She was hungry, but she didn’t want the staff to get in any trouble. She couldn’t imagine the kind of wrath that the beast could unleash.

            “She was angry and hurt,” Mrs. Potts said leading her out the door. “She doesn’t want you to starve darling. A lot of people say things that they don’t mean in the heat of the moment. It is just our choice whether or not we listen to it. Ready?”

            Mrs. Potts is out the door before Laura can respond.

            She really didn’t want them to get them in any trouble, but they seemed so kind and willing to help. She couldn’t say no to their kindness.

            “Go on,” Elise said and ushered her out the door.

---------

            The door to the kitchen flew open. LaFontaine was so excited for this dinner. They had never had a chance to prepare a real meal for anyone before.

            Everyone in the kitchen buzzed with excitement. The news of Laura joining them for dinner and sped through the castle very quickly.

            “They’re coming,” LaFontaine shouted through the kitchen. “Come on, come on, everyone take their places!”

            Will struggled up the kitchen counter, placing themselves right next to LaFontaine.

            “No, no, no,” Will gruffed. “If my sister finds out that you blatantly disrespected her orders, she’ll blame me for not reigning you in. As your prince, I demand that you stop this immediately. She’ll kill me for this.”

            “Ugh, William,” LaFontaine sighed as they jumped towards the dishware, observing which ones they should use for tonight. “We all know that you haven’t been a real prince in centuries. You’re just as stuck as the rest of us. Besides, you know that it’s not possible for the master to kill you.”

            “Doesn’t mean she won’t try,” Will mumbled.

            “I mean did you see her stand up to her majesty,” LaFontaine spoke in awe. “Don’t tell me it didn’t impress you, dear prince. She challenged the him like I have never seen anyone do. I mean, she must be the one that will help break the spell. They must fall in love to do that and they can’t do that if she is kept in her room.”

            LaFontaine brought her light up to one of the glasses and saw a little swipe of dirt on the glass. This was unacceptable for their guest.

            “Someone get this,” LaFontaine shouted. “There’s a large smudge here.”

            LaFontaine hopped from the dishware to the tea cart, double checking that the drink were all in order. They had heard from Mrs. Potts that Laura preferred hot chocolate over tea. They took a large sniff of the stuff and smelled the chocolate. Hopefully one day they could taste it for themselves.

            They heard Will climb across the kitchen to join them.

            “You think Laura is going to fall in love with her,” Will asked. “I do love my dear sister, but I also know her better than anyone around her. Even before her appearance changed, she was a hard person to get to know. Now that she’s lost her looks, she’ll be even less easy to get to know. I’m the only person in this world who loves her.”

            This was their only chance to break the curse. LaFontaine did not want to live forever as a candelabra. They weren’t even sure what would happen to them once all the petals on the flower wilted away. They didn’t want to find out.

            “Can you help break the curse?” LaFontaine scoffed.

            “Well,” Will looked at the ground. “No. Family is almost a built-in love. I love her, but I didn’t like her back then.”

            LaFontaine knew that Will felt the guiltiest out of everyone in the castle about the curse. He chided himself on how he should’ve been there for her and called out her more as she changed more and more into Will and Carmilla’s mother.

            His guilt often led him to back Carmilla up on everything she said. LaFontaine used to listen to him years ago, but now she only hoped that he would forgive them once the curse was broken. He was in the same situation as the staff was and every day LaFontaine considered him less and less a prince.

            “Then shush dear prince, a broken clock is only right two times a day and this is not one of those times.”

            Will grumbled something, but LaFontaine ignored it and jumped to the island table, checking the dishware once more before they started bringing it all out.

            “Let’s go everyone, smiles on,” LaFontaine shouted. “It’s time to let this girl know what we are all about.”

            JP placed a hot pot of soup on the island table.

            “Don’t touch this LaF,” he said. “It is only for our dear guest.”

            LaFontaine took a spoon, dipped it into the soup and tasted the soup. They shook their head at themselves, missing the taste of food on their tongue.

            “I have no taste buds,” LaFontaine laughed. “But if I did, this would take exquisite!”

            “LAF,” JP shouted. “It’s not even done yet! I have a few more things to add before it can be brought out to the dining table. Someone grab me the basil and the garlic powder!”

            “Please keep it down,” Will hushed the kitchen. “You know that she can hear us if she wanted to.”

            “Sure, sure Will,” LaFontaine dismissed him. “You know she spends most of her day trying to drown out the sounds of the castle. Also, it wouldn’t be dinner without a little music, now would it?”

            “Music?!” Will exclaimed.

            LaFontaine ignored Will’s pleas to not have music playing while Laura had dinner.

            “Peter, are you ready?” LaFontaine asked the piano.

            “Ah, dear LaF it has been so long since I last preformed for anyone. I’m glad that you have asked me rather than use that ridiculous music box that showed up here not too long ago. I just hope that I am not rusty.”

            “Peter, it is called a speaker,” LaFontaine spoke as the sounds of the keys running across themselves until they snagged a bad note. Everyone cringed.

            “Maybe we should just use the speaker, bro,” Kirsch interjected. “Besides, it can play all kinds of music that we’ve never heard of. I’m sure we could find something that the little beauty would love.”

            “No, no,” Peter exclaimed. “I can do this! My wife is upstairs counting on us to break this curse and I will help out! Not a single bad note will stop me!”

            “Can you all just keep it quiet,” Will pleaded with the staff. “Please?”

            “Quiet,” Peter yelled out. “Are you serious? Would anyone else like to tell me how to play my great art?”

            “Oh please, Peter,” Will countered. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

--------

            Mrs. Potts led Laura downstairs and into the dining hall where there was a large buzz of… people… running around the dining table, doing what looked like getting Laura’s dinner ready.

            “You really did not have to do all this, a simple grilled cheese would’ve been fine,” Laura told Mrs. Potts.

            “This was not my idea darling, but we don’t get guests very often, so we are trying to enjoy it,” Mrs. Potts ushered her to the chair at the end of the long table. “Here you are dear.”

            Laura took a seat at the table as the coatrack helped push in her seat like a gentleman.

            “I hope you enjoy your dinner, little beauty. My name is Wilson Kirsch, but everyone just calls me Kirsch now. Please let me know if you need anything.”

            “Thanks Kirsch,” Laura smiled at him.

            Then a stove came out of kitchen, loudly clanging until it stopped next to Laura.

            “Ahhh, there she is, the guest of honor,” the stove spoke to her. “How lovely to finally meet you. My name is JP, I am the cook around here. I am so glad to finally have someone to actually cook for once.”

            “You don’t cook for Carmilla?” Laura asked with confusion.

            “Ummm… No. She has… a very specific diet that I don’t need to cook.”

            “What does she eat? Raw meat?” Laura joked.

            The whole room fell quiet for a moment except for the noise of people moving around in the kitchen. Laura had only mentioned that a joke. Did Carmilla actually eat raw meat?

            “No, no, no,” Kirsch finally said laughing and then the whole room fell into an uncomfortable laughter. “Don’t be silly, dude.”

            She was prepared to ask another question about Carmilla’s diet, but then JP disappeared into the kitchen as Kirsch directed her attention to the table.

            Laura looked down the table as she saw LaFontaine jumped up onto it. From high above, the table she saw Perry holding a large lamp, focusing it on LaFontaine. It looked like a stage was being set for dinner and a show.

            “I’m so sorry for this,” she heard Will mumble somewhere around her.

            “Dearest Laura,” LaFontaine spoke with a voice of an announcer. “please sit back and relax as we truly welcome you to the castle and all of its wonderful pleasures.”

            LaFontaine waved their hands, Perry steadied the spotlight and the piano started playing a nice, upbeat tune.

            “Now, for tonight’s event, we join you to pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents…”

            The table clothed rolled across the table, LaFontaine jumped up and back down as it did, landing in a pose.

            The music stopped momentarily as the piano hit a bad note.

            LaFontaine cringed and shot the piano a look.

            “Should’ve just used the speaker,” Kirsch whispered behind Laura.

            The piano corrected itself and LaFontaine shot a large smile to Laura who couldn’t help but smile right back.

            She had never seen any sort of show before so this could be fun to watch. They were doing all for her which she thought was just crazy.

            “… your dinner,” LaFontaine continued.

            Then LaFontaine started singing.

Be our guest, be our guest

            The napkins around her started twirling around her except for one that stood still just for her use.

Put our service to test

Tie your napkin ‘round your neck, darling

And we provide the rest

            The stove from the kitchen whirled around presented her with an assortment of foods. Laura licked her lips not knowing where to start.

            Different colored lights moving all over the place, the dining room filled with an assortment of items flying around in a coordinated manner.

Soup du jour, hot hor d’oeuvres

Why we only live to serve

Try the grey stuff it’s delicious

            Laura reached out with her fork to grab a bite of the grey stuff, but it was taken away from her before she got the chance.

Don’t believe me?

Ask the dishes!

            The appetizer plates are taken away, and then LaFontaine steps up, spinning the dishes around on their candles.

They can sing, they can dance

After all, this used to be part of France!

            The bread gets sliced to in front her, dishes flying all around overhead in a circle like a circus show. Laura reached up and plucked of the dishes out from the air, placing it down in front and her.

            The stove popped around the corner and placed a menu right on the plate she just grabbed.

And a dinner here is never second best

Go on unfold your menu

Take a glance and then you’ll

Be our guest, be our guest

“Be our guest!” Will interjected as he hopped up on the dining table.

LaFontaine dances over and places a hand on Will’s mouth, Will taking his hand and whacking LaFontaine in the arm.

The kitchen doors swing open and some dishes and Kirsch place more food on the dining table. LaFontaine jumps back and continues singing.

Beef ragout, cheese soufflé,

Pie and pudding en flambé!

            Laura watches LaFontaine as they picked up a fish pie, exploding above their head. A piece flying off and hitting Will in the face, knocking him off the table. Laura started laughing.

We’ll prepare and serve with flair

A culinary cabaret!

            Glass flutes splay out across the dining table,  a feather duster like Perry carrying an open champagne bottle, flying across quickly filling all the glasses.

            Laura picked up a glass and tasted the champagne. It was the best champagne she had ever tasted and certainly not the cheap stuff that she was used to celebrating with.

            LaFontaine reached across and plucked the glass from Laura’s hands.

You’re alone and you’re scared

But the banquet’s all prepared

No one’s gloomy or complaining

While the flatware’s entertaining

            The flatware held out a large napkin as LaFontaine jumps up and bounces off it like a trampoline. They grabbed the chandelier, swinging on it like a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas.

We tell jokes, I do tricks

With my fellow candlesticks

And it’s all in perfect taste

That you can bet!

            LaFontaine swings up, twirls and lands back down on the table. They were new surrounded by flying dishware which started slowly lifting him up. Champagne glasses flying around.

Come on and lift your glass

You’ve won your own free pass

To be our guest

            LaFontaine turned to Will who had recovered and was standing on the edge of the table once more.

If you’re stressed, it’s fine dining we suggest

            LaFontaine turned their attention back to Laura.

Oui our guest

Be our guest, be our guest!

Life is so unnerving

For a servant who’s not serving

            Laura reached out and started stuffing some of the food in her mouth. She was afraid that she would never get the chance to eat if she didn’t do it quickly. They kept taking the food away real quick.

            LaFontaine grabbed a napkin and wrapped themselves it in.

She’s not whole

Without a soul to wait upon

            They slowly started walking down the table as some of items in the dining room threw salt around him.

Ah, those good old days when we were useful

Suddenly, those good old days are gone

Too long we’ve been rusting

Needing so much more than dusting

Needing exercise

A change to use our skills

            The plates flew up and landed in a neat pile on the table, while Will was thrown up and landed on LaFontaine’s lap.

            The stove rose up and slid them both across to land in front of Laura whose face was stuff with food.

Most days we just lay around the castle

Flabby, fat and lazy

            LaFontaine flew up once more.

You walked in, and oops-a-daisie

            Mrs. Potts rode in on her cart and took LaFontaine’s place at the center of the table. LaFontaine no longer singing, now Mrs. Potts.

It’s a guest, it’s a guest!
Sakes alive, and I’ll be blessed

Wine’s been poured and thank the Lord

I’ve had more napkins freshly pressed!

            The stove flew out of the kitchen with more plates of food. The table cleared and the plates of food are now replaced with desserts. Tea cups, start flying in, dancing around Mrs. Potts.

With dessert, she’ll want hot chocolate

And my dear, we’ll get it, don’t deflate!

While the cups do their soft shoeing

I’ll be bubbling, I’ll be brewing

I’ll get warm, piping hot

            Theo was among the teacups as he flew next to his mother, his mother noticing something on him.

Heaven’s sake, is that a spot?

Clean it up, we want the company impressed!

            A dining cart rolls through the doors and up to Laura. Mrs. Potts sliding across the table and pouring a cup of hot chocolate into Theo.

We’ve got a lot to do

Is it one lump of two?

For you our guest!

            “She’s our guest!” LaFontaine sang.

She’s our guest!

            Then LaFontaine joins next to Mrs. Potts. Will, looking tired of being left out, pushes LaFontaine aside and joins them on the table. They all start singing together.

She’s our guest!

Be our guest! Be our guest!

Our command it your request!

It’s years since we had anybody here

And we’re obsessed!

With your meal, with your ease,

Yes indeed, we aim to please

            A large punch bowl is brought out to the table and Laura watches as items fly up to the chandelier and dive down like a dive show into the punch bowl. Colored lights flying around for furiously.

While the candlelight’s still glowing,

Let us help, we’ll keep going

Course by… COURSE!

One by one!

Til you shout “Enough I’m done!”

Then we’ll sing you off to skeep as you digest

Tonight you’ll prop your feet up

Bot for now let’s eat up…

Be our guest! Be our guest!

Be our geust Please! Be our guest!

            The stove pulls the table cloth up and yanks it away, everything clearing away from the table. All the items in the air fly back into the kitchen and the flashlights above turning off.

            “Cupcake?” LaFontaine asked standing in front of her holding out a cupcake.

            Laura fell into a fit of laughter.

Chapter Text

            Laura followed Perry from the dining room and to the east wing where her room awaited her. She hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. This day had been so long. The last couple days felt like a lifetime.

            She looked down at Perry, no words passing between them and Laura had to wonder what happened to them. They were just as trapped as she was at the moment. It seems like they couldn’t leave at all. Even if they did, they would probably freak anyone they came across out because of their appearances. Laura often had to remind herself that talking household items and antiques were not normal.

            “Have you ever tried to escape,” Laura surprised herself by asking the question. “Like don’t you want to escape?”

            She heard Perry sigh as they walked through the castle.

            “Carmilla really isn’t as bad as she appears to be,” Perry held her feather over her mouth like she had said something she wasn’t supposed to.

            The beast’s name is Carmilla… At least Laura can put a name to her now. It was an unusual name.

            “T-Th m-master,” Perry stuttered. “Was once a kind child. Somewhere deep down in his soul, there’s a princess of a girl, just waiting to be set free.”

            Laura cocked her head to the side. She had heard some of them refer to Carmilla as ‘her majesty’ earlier. That plus the castle, made Laura believe that Carmilla had to be some sort of royalty. It was impossible though. Royalty hadn’t been around for centuries, much less in Silas.

            ‘Set free’… Laura thought about that. Maybe Carmilla hadn’t always had the appearance that she had now. Maybe Carmilla didn’t always used to act this way. She wondered what could’ve caused Carmilla’s appearance to be the way it was. Well whatever had happened must have also caused the house staff to be the way they were too. The difference being that Carmilla was still somewhat… human and the rest of the house was not.

            “What happened here?” Laura’s curiosity peaked.

            Perry shook her head, not answering the question. It was very obvious that something happened for all of them to end up like this. Laura wondered why she wouldn’t tell her what had happened or what was happening.

            They continued to walk with the unanswered question. Laura was still curious about it. If she was going to be stuck here, she wanted to know everything about this place. It would also probably help if she could get out of here and get some help.

            Pushing her luck, Laura spoke again.

            “LaFontaine mentioned something about the west wing…”

            “I wouldn’t bother about that,” Perry said quickly. “You need some rest dear, I can imagine that it has been a long, long day. Go to bed.”

            They had the top of the stairs where they split into each of the wings.

            Laura wanted Perry to answer her questions, but she it didn’t seem like wasn’t going to be getting them out of her anytime soon.

            “Goodnight,” Laura smiled.

            “Goodnight Laura,” Perry smiled back. “Now, don’t dawdle and go to sleep. These days will become longer than you know.”

            Perry flew back down the stairs, probably going to go clean up the mess that they had made in the dining room.

            Laura paused for a moment, looking in the direction of the west wing.

            Everyone had been insistent that she shouldn’t go to the west wing, but Laura wanted answers. She didn’t know what was going on with this castle and she wanted to change that. Maybe if she knew what was going on, she could help them and then she could make her escape.

            If she was going to find answers, they were probably being kept secret in the west wing.

            Laura moved her foot from the stairs that led to the east wing and then started quickly shuffling towards the west wing, looking around to see if anyone was watching her.

The coast was clear the entire way to the west wing.

            The west wing looked the same as the east wing, but it was darker. Some of the ceiling lights were out or broken and instead of multiple doors in the hallways, there was only one large double door entrance.

            Laura decided it was probably a good idea to stay out of any obvious light, in case she ran into someone. Not that it would conceal her completely, but it would give her a better chance to hide or get away.

            As she approached the doors, she noticed that they weren’t completely closed. It was slightly ajar, and Laura curled her fingers around the doorknob, steeling herself and working up the courage to keep going.

            Beast be damned. She was going to find answers.

            She pushed the door open and walked into her room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.

            Most of the lights were turned off, but a few lit up the room. It was colder than the rest of the castle. Laura couldn’t help but shiver at the sight of the room.

            Every single piece of furniture in the room had been destroyed or shattered. Except for the bed. The TV was barely hanging on the wall, the couch broken in half and there were random pieces of rumble lying all over the stone floor.

            Laura’s eyes wandered around and fell upon a portrait hanging on the wall. The portrait had been clawed and slashed that Laura could barely make out that the subject of the painting was a young girl wearing a small crown.

            The only thing that was distinguishable in the painting, was the eyes of the subject. They were dark brown, engaging and looked like the same eyes of her captor that she had peered into earlier today. There were no hints of red anywhere in those eyes.

            It had to be a portrait of Carmilla, but she looked completely human. This is probably what Perry was talking about when she mentioned a ‘princess of a girl’. She looked young, healthy and very beautiful. Had Laura ever come across this girl in town, she would have just flustered at the sight of her.

            Laura moved closer to the painting, her eyes studying the other people in the portrait. There were four people. Carmilla in the center. The older looking people in the painting must’ve been her parents. Her father’s image was completely untouched, but her mother’s face had been slashed through. She couldn’t tell what the mother looked like, but the father’s smile seemed soft and kind. He was a handsome fellow. Also untouched on the painting was a boy at Carmilla’s side. He had the same eyes that Carmilla did. This must’ve been her younger brother.

            The prince. She heard some of the staff refer to Will as ‘the prince’. Will must be her younger brother. Somehow he became a clock, yet Carmilla was still something that was more human than being an antique. It only furthered her curiosity. Whatever was happening or had happened revolved around Carmilla.

            Laura passed a four-poster bed, the sheets and comforter looking faded and dusty. It looked like no one had slept in it in years.

            She looked at the floor and saw a lot of shattered mirror glass on the floor. In fact, she hadn’t seen a single mirror in the castle besides the one in her room. That had to mean something.

            At the end of the bedroom, was very large balcony. The doors looked like they were constantly kept open. Snow slowly falling down on the outside, probably contributing to the temperature of the room.

            There was single table on the balcony and there was something glowing from the glass jar that sat on top of it. As she moved closer, it became clear that it was a glowing, floating red rose encased in the glass jar. It was beautiful, she had never seen anything like it. A single rose, almost in perfect condition except for the petals that had wilted and died on the table.

            Laura came up to table and placed her hand on the glass. It was warm. She had to know what this was. It was like magic. A normal rose would never look like this.

            She lifted up the glass jar, effectively leaving the rose out in the open. She reached out to hold the rose in her hand.

            Then a large shadow falls across Laura’s face.

            “WHAT THE FRILLY HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE,” Carmilla roared at Laura. “DID YOU DO SOMETHING TO IT?”
            Laura comes face-to-face with Carmilla, red eyes and fangs bared. Laura placed the jar back where it was and stumbled backwards from it.

            “N-n-nothing,” Laura stuttered. “I was just admiring it.”

            Laura hung her head. She had really angered Carmilla, but he curiosity was still peaked. The rose obviously had a very important meaning to Carmilla if she was getting this worked up over it. She had a very big temper when it came to roses.

            “DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE? YOU COULD HAVE DAMNED US ALL! GET OUT! GO!”

            Carmilla raising her arms and claws as she roared at Laura.

            Laura didn’t have to be told twice. She turned and ran towards the door, only slowing down for a moment to look back at the beast.

Carmilla’s attention was no longer on Laura. She looked panicked and protective at the rose as she returned the glass cover to it.

            Laura continued to go, moving quickly down the hallway. That’s it. She was getting out of here. She didn’t belong here. She couldn’t help any of these people with Carmilla constantly roaring in her face.

            Racing down the stairs, rather than go up to the east wing, she whirled around and headed down towards the exit doors.

            “Madame,” LaFontaine asked panicked. “Did you just come from the west wing? What are you doing?”

            “Leaving,” Laura stated as she continued running down the stairs to the large doors in front of her.

            Will and LaFontaine jumped down from the chairs in the foyer.

            “You can’t leave!” Will yelled at her.

            “Just watch me,” she yelled back.

            “Froufrou,” she heard LaFontaine yell. “Stop her!”

            Apparently, she was completely wrong earlier about the staff not stopping her from leaving. It didn’t matter, they were small things that Laura could knock out of the way.

            She heard a large barking coming from behind as she ran down the main stairs and getting closer with every step she took.

            Perry flew up from the dining hall.

            “You don’t want to go out there!” Perry yelled at her.

            There was a loud whistle from behind her and then the windows drop and the shutters close. When she finally made it to the bottom of the grand staircase, she watched as the door bolted and locked itself shut.

            Froufrou finally caught up with her and blocked her exit, growling.

            “There you go Froufrou,” Will said. “Good boy!”

            Laura looked from side-to-side trying to look for something to wack the stupid dog with, but instead, the growls stopped.

            Froufrou playful yipped at her, standing on his hind legs and looking playfully at Laura.

            So, the dog was completely unless, but it didn’t matter as she still needed an exit.

            “What? No,” she heard Will say. “It’s not playtime! Bad dog! Bad dog!”

            Froufrou spins around Laura and then scrambled outside through a small door within in the large grand entrance door.

            The dog just provided Laura with an exit route. She quickly runs grabs her coat that had been removed during dinner from an oblivious Kirsch, and then barges through the small door that Froufrou had run through.

            “Laura,” she heard LaFontaine behind her. “It’s too dangerous out there, you won’t survive!”

            Survive or not, she was going to get out of that castle. She was determined to get back home, and she was sure that she could make it.

            Her steps pounding against the snow as she ran through the castle grounds. There was a small light coming from a building at the edge where the castle grounds met the forest.

            Taking a quick look inside, there was a beautiful horse with a leather saddle on the back of it. Her escape ‘vehicle’.

            Laura muscled herself onto the horse’s back and immediately whipped the horse to go. They crashed through the stable doors and headed into the woods.

            The hooves of the horse hit the snow as she drives him forward in the forest. Laura wasn’t sure what way was back to town, but if she kept in one direction long enough, she would eventually find her way out.

            Laura looked behind her to make sure that Carmilla wasn’t following. There was no trace of anyone following her in the forest. The castle is slowly disappearing from her view, only seeing the mountains that surround it.

            Her escape was a lot easier than she had excepted it to be. Carmilla hadn’t tried to stop her, it was only her staff that did. She seemed to be more preoccupied with the rose rather than Laura’s escape.

            She felt a small smile on her face as she relished in her escape. Once she got out of the forest, she could find her way back to town and bring down Carmilla. There was also hope of figuring out what was going on in the castle and saving those… people that were in it. Surely, someone could understand what was going on within the castle.

            Her happiness of escape was short-lived as she heard the howls of wolves. They sounded close, too close for Laura’s comfort. She urged the horse to keep going faster.

            Another howl that sounded like it was close behind her.

            Out of the corner of her eye, she saw wolves running next to her in the shadows of the trees. Their growls filling her ears. There was definitely more than one.

            They kept getting clearer and clearer in Laura’s vision and they weren’t any average wolves. These were at least double the size of any wolf she had seen, and their coats were white like the snow beneath her. As far as she knew, there were no white wolves in the forests of Silas. This had to be another effect of whatever was going on.

            Still emerging from the trees around her, there had to be at least a dozen of them. They started closing in fast on Laura. She needed to go faster.

            Laura urged the horse on as the break through the trees into a clearing where the ice had frozen over a small pond. The hooves of the horse pound on the ice, Laura hearing the sound of small cracks under them.

            The cracking becomes increasing louder as the horse raced forward.

            Suddenly, the horse starts sliding across the ice, the wolves closing in on them. Luckily, the horse makes it across the ice and Laura lets out a breath of relief.

            Then one of wolves jumps and the horse, locking it’s jaws around the horse’s thigh. It bucked Laura up and she jumped off of it into a snow bank on the edge of the pond. She quickly found a large branch and held it up like a sword, ready to swing as the wolves raced at her.

            Instead, all of them started to surround her, circling their prey.

            Laura saw their black eyes and their saliva dripping down their barred teeth. One of the wolves lunged at her, locking it’s jaws on the branch, ripping it out of her hands and throwing it to the side.

            It backed away as another wolf appeared from the forest fog across the pond. This one the biggest of all and slowly stalking forward towards Laura. The other wolves made no movement towards her.

            Finally, it leaped at her, it’s jaw open, ready to rip the flesh off of it’s prey.

            Suddenly, an oversized black panther appears and catches the wolf mid-air in its jaws, bringing it down to the ground and slamming into a rock. The panther stands and tosses the wolf through the air to the other side of the pond.

            Laura looked at the panther who had unusually red eyes.

            The rest of the wolves focus are no longer on Laura, but the enormous panther. They all leapt at it, claws and teeth ready to tear the panther apart.

            The panther easily swats them away with its large paws and they all scurry away, yelping as the blood runs down their sides.

            The larger wolf that it had tossed earlier recovered, lunging at the panther using it’s sharp claws to tear a cut across its face. Then it whirls around, jumping on the panther’s back as it bucks up trying to throw the wolf off of it.

            The wolf’s jaws go for the panther’s throat, but before it makes contact, the panther rolls to its side, slamming the wolf on the ground. The wolf opened it jaws and took a bite into the panther’s side. The panther roars and uses its own teeth to rip the wolf away.

            They start circling each other, closing in eventually there is only a few inches between them.

            The panther roars and then swipes at the wolf, missing it by a few inches and then using its teeth to grab onto the back on the wolf’s neck. The panther throws the wolf again, this time into a rock. There is a large crack and the wolf does down, unmoving.

            The remainder of the wolves howl and then retreat into the forest their pain and yelps can be heard through the trees.

            Laura watches as the panther roars and then falls to the ground, whimpering as the blood runs down the side of it and its face.

            The sounds of paws against the snow and whimpering of the wolves slowly start to fade away into the night.

            Then the panther starts shifting, changing until there is no longer a panther there, but Carmilla with her long, black hair running down her face still whimpering in pain.

            Laura turns her head to the forest where the horse was sitting but looks past it and into the woods. She could run now. She could run now and never look back.

            However, she turned back to Carmilla where she laid still. Carmilla had just saved her life and now she was alone and hurt. She was hurt from saving Laura. Laura had to wonder why she had saved her life. She didn’t seem at all important to Laura. Why did she care if she lived or died especially when she was trying to escape?

            Laura decided that couldn’t just leave her there to die.

            Slowly, she approaches Carmilla seeing a lot of blood covering her body. It didn’t look like normal blood though. It ran like blood, but instead of being red, it was black. She removed her yellow jacket and placed it over Carmilla.

            Carmilla stirred and opened one of her eyes. It’s not red like she had expected it to be, but dark brown like in the portraits she saw.

            Laura couldn’t carry her back to the castle, but she turned and looked at the horse. She ran over and grabbed it by the lead, bringing it close to Carmilla.

            There was no way she could even lift Carmilla up like this on her own. She was strong, but not that strong.

            “You need to stand up for a moment,” she whispered to Carmilla. “You need to get up so I can help you on the horse. Please help me.”

            Carmilla opens both of her eyes and looks into Laura’s. There was no sign of anger or relief in her eyes. They just looked tired. Laura outstretched her hand to help her up. She took it and Laura sighed with relief.

            Laura watched as she struggled to get up even with Laura’s help.

            Not another word passes between them, as Laura helped Carmilla get onto the back of the horse. Blood or whatever it was still spilling from her side and her face.

            Laura rips a part of her jacket off and holds it to Carmilla’s side. She growls for a moment, but it’s not directed at Laura. Laura takes her hand which was surprisingly soft, yet very cold and replaced her hand with the mane of horse, silently telling her where to hold.

            Carmilla doesn’t protest.

            Laura lets go of Carmilla and grabs the lead of the horse, leading it back to the direction of the castle.

Chapter Text

            Sherman jumps at the sound of howling as Danny parks the truck at the edge of the forest, a ways from the crash site. They planned to go the rest of the way on foot because the trees weren’t wide enough for the truck to drive through. It was either follow along the road to get there or try to repel down the side of the cliff he had driven off. Danny had been all for the climbing, but he wasn’t too keen on that idea.

            It was hard to believe that he had survived the crash that night. In some ways, he wished he hadn’t. He was grateful for his life, but it had all led to leaving Laura in the hands of a monster. If he could give his life to change that, he would in a heartbeat. It was what it was though. He couldn’t change it.

            Danny and Mel exited out the front of the car. Sherman opened his door and Mel was there, reaching out to help him out. He let out a rough breath from the pain that came from his side. He was still hurting from the crash, but it was more of a constant dull pain now rather than large, sharp pains.

            He didn’t want to go to the hospital until her found Laura. He wanted to get her out of the creepy castle- out of the hands of the beast as soon as possible.

            Danny was at the rear of the truck, reaching into the bed of the truck and to grab some stuff that Danny had insisted that they stopped at her parent’s house to get. Even though Sherman wanted to get to Laura as soon as possible, it was more practical that they had the equipment to take on the woods and the beast if necessary.

            Mel led him around to the rear, reaching and handing Sherman a flashlight. She offered him a handgun, but Sherman shook his head. He didn’t want to handle a gun. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to use it, it just reminded him of some bad memories. It might be necessary to use them, but he wanted to avoid using them if at all possible. He decided to leave the guns to Danny and Mel.

            He didn’t want anyone to get hurt, he just wanted his daughter back.

            Mel and Danny had shotguns slung over their backs and a flashlight in their hands. Danny had also strapped a large hunting knife to her leg. Knowing the Lawrence’s, it wasn’t a surprise to him that Danny had all of this equipment.

            The Lawrence’s were known for their money and their love of camping and hunting. They were quite well known in the town. He had a few interactions with family at church and Danny’s father had served in the army as a lawyer. They had talked a few times about their time in the service. He had been invited a few times to join them on their annual hunting trip, but it had never interested him.

            It also required either taking Laura with him or leaving her alone for a while, neither of which he wanted to do.

            Danny was very similar to her father. Both had very big personalities and were friendly with everyone in the town. They were also very skilled with guns. Her father had taught her how to shoot and she became very proficient at it. She had won the shootout for the past few (five maybe?) during the annual Silas festival. After her father had stopped participating, she always won by large margins.

            Danny pulled the cover of the bed of truck and approached him. She shined the flashlight towards the woods and looked at him expectantly. He didn’t move. He wasn’t sure how this was going to go. Last time, there had been a clear path to castle, but right now it was woods.

            A part of him was scared to go back there, but he was more afraid of something bad happening to Laura.

            “So,” Danny spoke to him. “I guess you should lead the way.”

            Sherman pointed his light towards the woods and then in the direction of the road that led out of town. The trees almost led right up to the road. He figured that they should probably follow that to find the area that he had crashed his car. For there, he could find the path that led to the castle.

            He started walking on the dirt along the road. As the road started to curve up the hill, he kept walking along it, not going up the hill by still following it. He shined his flashlight on the ground ahead of him, looking for signed where he had wrecked his car.

            Danny and Mel walked behind him in silence. Both of their guns were no longer slung over their shoulders, instead they had them in their shoulders pointed at the ground. Their attention was more towards the woods.

            Before all of this, Sherman wouldn’t have been too worried about animals coming out from the woods. After seeing the wolves in the woods, he was very grateful that they were being vigilante.

            As he moved his flashlight, he saw something gleam on the ground. He got closer to it and it was a bunch of broken metal and glass. His attention turned to the hillside and looked up. It looked a lot lower than Sherman had originally thought, but this had to be the place where he drove over the cliff.

            He stopped walking, bent down and inspected the scrap. It was confirmed that it came from his car.

            “Well?” Mel asked.

            “This is where my truck went over the edge,” he replied breathlessly. “This is a good place to start.”

            “So,” Danny asked skeptically. “How do we get to the place where you last saw Laura?”

            “The castle,” Sherman emphasized the word. “Is…”

            He whirled around with his flashlight, putting the light on the woods next to the cliff. There should have been a path that led straight to the castle, but there was nothing there now. Nothing but trees for miles, no indications of a path or that there had ever been one. That was impossible, if this was the place, there had to be a path here.

            “This had to be it,” Sherman said panicking. “I crashed here and there was a path to the castle. I swear it. It’s… gone now.”

            “There’s no path here,” Danny sighed sounding bored. “I don’t see anything here. Are you sure that there was a path? You did hit your head pretty hard. Maybe you were seeing things?”

            “No, no, no,” Sherman said quickly. “It has to be around here somewhere. I know it’s here, I wasn’t just ‘seeing things’. It’s here… somewhere.”

            Paths don’t just disappear and appear. It had to be around somewhere. Perhaps it was further into the woods before he saw it. It couldn’t have been his imagination. Things like that don’t just pop up in someone’s head… right?

            Before either of the girls said another word, he straightened up and started walking into the woods. He searched around for anything familiar, trying to remember where he had gone after he recovered from the crash.

            Everything after the crash had been mostly a blur, but he very clearly remembered the path. Then he remembered that he saw some smoke in sky coming from something.

            It was dark though and he saw nothing but black sky when he looked up. The woods were covered in darkness and as he continued to walk further, a thick fog started falling over the trees.

            Danny and Mel following close behind him silently, keeping their heads on a swivel. He trudged forward, ignoring the pain, determined to find the castle again.

            They continued silently through the woods. No path anywhere in sight. The fog was getting heavier and the weather started getting colder as the moved deeper into the woods.

            In the silence, a wolf howled in the distance causing Sherman to jump and stop his movements. It brought him back to the wolf attack and the giant black panther that dragged him by his back to the castle. They had to be getting close by now though. The wolves had attacked him not too far from it.

            Sherman continued forward, but Danny and Mel had stopped. Another howl blanketed the woods, sounding closer than the first one.

            “Look,” Danny stated. “I think we’ve gone far enough. I don’t see a path. I don’t see a castle, in fact, I had hardly see anything through this fog. It’s becoming unsafe. We should turn back and wait for the sun to rise. Everything should be clearer by then.”

            “No,” Sherman practically shouted then lowered his voice remembering the wolves. “We have to be getting close now. The castle has to be around here somewhere. I remember everything. The lightning that struck the tree down, swerving to avoid it, crashing and then being chased by wolves. The howls must mean we’re getting closer.”

            “First off,” Danny said annoyed. “If there were wolves, we should definitely turn back and wait. I don’t want to find out how our shotguns fair against a pack. Secondly, what tree are you talking about? There was no downed tree at the site of the accident.”

            “The wolves are scared of the beast,” Sherman said matter-of-factly. “Of course there was a fallen tree. It’s why I ended up driving off the cliff. I had to avoid it. The storm had brought it down and I didn’t want it to crush me.”

            His explanation was becoming more and more frantic as he spoke. He had seen the lightning. He had watched the tree fall with his own two eyes. It was the reason he had sent his car over the cliff. They had to have seen the tree when they checked out the crash site.

            “Sherman,” Danny said with more emphasis. “I talked to Oliver, the detective. There was no fallen tree. The report wrote up that you must have swerved to miss something else, like another car or an animal.”

            “It was a tree,” Sherman mumbled.

            Sherman willed himself to move forward. He wasn’t crazy, he wasn’t seeing or remembering things incorrectly, he was sure of that.

            “Are you sure you want to date his daughter?” he heard Mel say under her breath to Danny.

            Sherman ignored the comment. He could worry about his daughter’s dating life when she was safe in his arms and out of the wretched castle.

            “It’s this way,” Sherman kept panicking. “It has to be around here somewhere.”

            “Paths just don’t disappear,” Danny said with irritation.

            “You don’t think I don’t know that,” Sherman hissed. “It’s here though… somewhere. I swear it.”

            Danny stalked towards him and stepped in front of him, stopping him in his path. She was very tall for a female, towering over him with a clear look of anger on her face.

            “This is ridiculous,” Danny huffed. “Where is Laura?”

            “At the castle,” Sherman huffed back. “I’ve told you a million times that the beast took her! It has her locked in the castle.”

            Sherman couldn’t be any clearer to Danny. He couldn’t understand how she didn’t understand what he was saying. Earlier it had seemed that Danny was believed in what he was saying, but now it felt like the opposite. He thought that she could be a big help with getting his Laura back. Now though, she was looking at him with a mix of sympathy and anger. It was almost like he was the bad guy in this situation. He would never do anything to hurt Laura.

            “There are no such things as beasts or talking teacups,” Danny said trying to hide her annoyance. “But there are wolves, frostbite and starvation if we get lost here and can’t find our way back to the car.”

            “Danny…” Mel warned her.

            “So,” Danny said calmly. “Why don’t we head back to your house and regroup? If anything, I think that Laura could be at home waiting for you.”

            “You don’t believe me,” Sherman asked Danny. “Then why did you offer to help me in the first place?”

            “Because I care for your daughter and I care if something bad happens to her,” Danny offered. “Now let’s get you home so we can reattack this in the morning with the police force.”

            “Laura is out there, locked in a tower in castle,” Sherman willed himself up. “She’s been locked away by-“

            “There is no such thing as beasts,” Danny hissed as she pushed past him, knckcing him on the ground, making her way back to the truck.

            “Danny,” Mel stopped her. “It’s alright. He’s just a hurt old man. His head isn’t on right. He’s probably got a very bad concussion and is why he is like this.”

            Danny took a large breath and then offered her hand to Sherman.

            “I’m sorry Sherman,” she said calmly. “I shouldn’t be talking to you like this. You’re hurt and not thinking correctly. I should’ve take you to the hospital. Your daughter would’ve wanted you to go there.”

            “You have no idea what my daughter would want,” he said rejecting her hand and getting up himself. “There’s a reason she won’t date you. You don’t know her as well as you think you do.”

            Then there was a howl in the background, sounding very close to their location. All of their heads snapped in the direction it came from.

            The trees started rustling and the sound of paws against the dirt started filling their ears. The wolves had to be close which mean that the castle had to be close. Their lives were in danger now though. It was either try and run to find the castle or run back to the truck.

            Danny and Mel raised their shotguns up.

            A growl rang out somewhere in the woods and Mel pulled her trigger, the sound of the shot carrying through the woods.

            Another loud growl and a snap of jaws.

            “Run!” Danny shouted at the two of them.

            Without being told twice, Sherman started running in the direction he believed the castle to be.

            “This way,” Sherman shouted. “The castle isn’t too far from here!”

            Mel and Danny looked back at him contemplating. Danny grabbed Mel’s hand and started dragging her in the direction of the truck.

            “Come on Sherman,” she shouted as she started running. “We can’t chance that there really is a castle. I don’t plan on being a wolf’s next meal tonight!”

            “You can’t leave me here by myself!” Sherman shouted as he tried to run to follow them, but he foot got caught on a branch. His leg gave way and he found himself face first in the dirt. Something cold and hard had hit his head, his foot was still caught in the branch.

            Pain overcame his head and his side. Black started to surrounded the outside of his vision. All the sounds of the woods were muffled and a ring took their place.

            “Wait,” he called weakly. “I can’t…”

            He took a large breath as his vision faded into nothingness.

            Sherman finally came to and opened his eyes. The sun was out and shining through the trees. As his eyes adjusted he come barely make out the lines of the trees. He was propped up against a tree trunk, he felt dirt beneath his hands. There was something wrapped around him, keeping him warm.

            When his vision became clear, he saw a petite woman kneeling next to him holding a small cup in front of him. She didn’t say a word but gestured at him to take the cup from her. He recognized her face.

            Her name was Elle. She was the only poor, homeless woman that lived in Silas. Everyone once in a while, if he had some food, he would stop and give her some. They never really exchanged words beyond “thank you” and “you’re welcome” or “it’s no problem”.

            There was a small tent with a recently snuffed out fire in front of it. A clothes line was setup in between two trees with a few articles of clothing hanging from it.

            Sherman took the cup from Elle’s hand, grateful that he hadn’t found himself alone in the woods or worse, dead by wolf.

            “Thank you,” his voice rougher than normal.

            “It’ll make you feel better,” Elle nodded at him.

            She stood up and shuffled over to a large duffel bag next to her tent. She pulled out a small energy bar, walked back over and handed it to him.

            This woman, who had next to nothing and probably saved his life, was helping him. She was offering him probably what little food she had.

            “I’m alright,” Sherman said.

            He didn’t want to take the food from her, in fear that she didn’t have much. He could go a little longer without food if it meant her having enough to survive.

            “It’s fine, I insist,” she gently placed the bar in his lap. “It looks like you haven’t been doing well lately. You really should probably be in a hospital.”

            Sherman let of a small laugh. He should be, but he was on a mission. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to find and save his daughter. He felt weak. He felt like he should be stronger than this. A former soldier who couldn’t even track and find his own daughter. Health and age be damned, he should be able to do this. Physically, he had been through worse. Emotionally… His daughter was in danger, nothing could worry or scare him more.

            “You’re not wrong.”

            Elle smiled at him.

            He studied the woman as she walked back over to her duffle, ruffling through it. Without more than a few words spoken between them before this, she helped him when he was in danger. In danger of animals, cold and starvation. He had no idea that she had herself setup in the woods rather than in one of the alleyways in town. He just assumed that it was the best place for a homeless woman to be rather than out here.

            “It’s Elle, right?” Sherman asked.

            “That I am,” she gave him a tentative smile.

            “What are you doing all the way out here?” he asked curiously.

            She paused for a moment and looked around at the trees. Beyond the dirt and ratty clothing, she was an elegant woman. The world’s hardships had turned her into this. Sherman feared for her parents or wondered if she had parents that cared. It certainly scared him that someone close to Laura’s age could end up like this.

            “I find the quiet here,” she spoke. “A lot more peaceful than in the city. Besides, I get enough looks in the city as it is. It’s better here. The trees and animals don’t judge me as the people in the city do.”

            Sherman thought that she was unusual woman. She couldn’t have been too much older than Laura, but her eyes looked much older. It looked like that had witnessed a lot more pain and suffering than someone her age had ever been through.

            Whatever Elle had given him was making him feel ten times better than he had been feeling since the accident. It almost made him feel a little bit younger again.

            The silence of the woods gave him time to think. He couldn’t help but think about the past few days, how everything had fallen apart in a matter of a few hours.

            He should’ve never left town. He should’ve told his boss to handle it himself and spent the weekend with Laura like he had planned. It was supposed to be their weekend. With Laura wanting her own place and away at college, he was seeing less and less of her.

            It was like dominos falling. One thing after another. Now it was this thing with Danny. He should have never brought her to the woods with him. She was a resourceful girl and an excellent hunter, but she had been all over the place last night. One minute she was trusting him and following him into the woods, the next she was arguing with him and looking at him like he was crazy. He certainly never expected her to just leave him in the woods like she did.

            Despite that, he knew that she cared for Laura. Even though Laura had rebuffed her multiple times, she still cared. She was probably holding out hope that Laura would eventually give her a chance, but he knew better. If Laura made up her mind about something, she would stick to it. If she said that she didn’t feel that way towards Danny than it probably would never change no matter how Danny wanted it too.

            Sherman wasn’t sure what had possessed Danny to get as frustrated as she did last night. She had always been such a kind girl to people, yet she had left him in the woods to fend against the wolves himself.

            A part of him can understand the self-survival instinct, but they hadn’t even tried to go back for him.

            He grabbed the energy bar from his lap. Although he didn’t want to take the poor woman’s food, he couldn’t help the rumbling in his stomach. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had a real meal. He unwrapped the bar and put the food in his mouth. It was one of the best snacks he ever had tasted. That had to be hunger talking though.

            After he finished the bar, he slowly pushed himself up. Elle watched him cautiously like she expected him to fall back down at any moment. He was feeling much better now. His head felt clearer than ever. He knew that everything he had seen wasn’t just his imagination or any hallucination. The castle, the beast, the talking teacup were all real.

            He needed to find Laura and bring her home. He was angry at Danny. He was angry at the town that didn’t believe him, but he couldn’t do this by himself. The wolves would most definitely eat him alive before he reached his daughter.

            Against his own instincts, he needed to ask for help. If just one person could understand him and believe him, that was all he needed. He was going to do anything he could to bring his daughter back home unharmed.

            “Elle,” he called to the woman. “Where is the way back to town?”

            “I can bring you there,” she smiled at him. “Don’t want you to get lost again.”

            “If you just point in the direction, I’m sure I can find my way back,” Sherman said.

            The woman frowned.

            “No, Sherman, I’ll bring you back. I need a few things from town anyways.”

            He obviously wasn’t going to win this disagreement, so he decided to leave it be. Besides, there was no harm in letting her walk him back if she was already headed there.

            Sherman smiled as Elle pulled a few dollars out of her duffle bag.

            “No,” Sherman insisted as he got an idea. “Please let me buy you some food when we get back. It’s the least I can do for your help.”

            “It quite alright, you really don’t have to do that.”

            “But I do,” Sherman gave a reassuring smile. “You saved my life. I could never repay you for that, but I can help you. Please let me do this for you.”

            Elle faltered a little and put the money in her pocket.

            “I will let you buy me some food,” she sighed. “But I need the money for some other things that I will get myself.”

            “Of course,” Sherman nodded and offered his arm to Elle.

            She gave him another small smile and took it then led him through the trees until he was finally able to see the edge of town.

Chapter Text

. The moon shined through the balcony doors as Laura sat by Carmilla’s bedside. The only other light in the room was from the lamp opposite of Laura. Laura had asked Perry to dust and clean the bed before placing Carmilla on it. It must’ve been the first time that she had used it in a while.

            Carmilla was set up on her back, Laura hovering over her. Her wounds weren’t as bad as Laura had previously thought. They had looked at lot worse when she was out on the ice and when she was on the horse. It perplexed Laura a little bit. She must have been seeing things incorrectly.

            Laura picked up on the towels that LaFontaine had given her and dipped it into the small bowl of hydrogen peroxide that they had also given her. She reached over and placed it on the now smaller gash on Carmilla’s side. She was confused how it had started to heal so quickly, but Laura didn’t want to bother Carmilla with questions right now.

            Carmilla barred her fangs and shifted uncomfortably from the towel. A small growl left her throat.

            “Stop moving,” Laura sighed. “Just let me take care of it and you’ll feel a lot better. If you hold still, it won’t hurt as much.”

            Carmilla shifted again, ignoring Laura’s advice.

            “If you hadn’t run away, none of this would have of happened,” Carmilla growled at her.

            Laura had run away on account of Carmilla losing her temper when she found Laura exploring her room. None of this would have happened if she had just talked to Laura calmly in the first place. In fact, none of this would have happened if Carmilla had let her go in the first place. It wasn’t something she was going to bring up right now. It didn’t seem right with Carmilla in pain in front of her.

            “That’s uncalled for,” Laura retorted. “If you hadn’t scared the shit out of me, then I wouldn’t have run away in the first place.”

            “Well you shouldn’t have come poking around the west wing. I’m sure that my staff had told you that much,” Carmilla commented as she gave a fierce stare to her staff behind Laura.

            Laura rolled her eyes.

            “Sure,” Laura gave in. “But you didn’t have to yell at me like you did.”

            Laura eyed her as Carmilla stayed quiet with no comeback. While she knew that invading Carmilla’s privacy had not been the best idea, roaring at her was the worst reaction that she could’ve had. She wasn’t a child, there was no need to roar at her. Although, Laura wasn’t sure if Carmilla had known any other way to react.

            The wound on Carmilla’s side was still seeping a black liquid slowly but wasn’t anywhere life threatening. The scratches on her face had yet to be attended to. They looked as though they weren’t more than a small cat scratch now.

            Laura couldn’t help but notice that the black veins on her face and arms weren’t the only ones on her body. There were more running side to side on her side and her stomach. She had never heard of veins popping out on a person’s stomach or side. They faded as they reached her very toned abs. Also, the burn scars on the right side of her face continued down her neck all the way down her the rest of her right side. If Laura had to guess, they probably were on her leg as well. It must have been a large fire that she had gotten caught in.

            Despite the scars on her right side, the veins and her paleness, her skin was very soft and smooth. Laura couldn’t help but take one of her fingers from the towel and run it over a small portion of her skin.

            Carmilla shuddered. Laura immediately put her finger back on the towel and blushed as she made eye contact with her.

            “See something you like cutie?” Carmilla gave her a smirk.

            Laura blushed even harder. The bowl of hydrogen peroxide suddenly became very interesting and trained her eyes on it.

            She took the towel and dabbed some more peroxide on it. This time, when Laura placed the towel on her side Carmilla didn’t move. A fang poked out of her mouth like she was suppressing a growl, but she kept still.

            The wound was quickly getting better. Laura pressed the towel a little harder against Carmilla’s side and then left it there, grabbing a new towel.

            After getting some peroxide on it, she slowly placed it on the scratches on her face. While they didn’t look bad, she still felt like she needed to give them some attention.

            Laura’s face contorted into concern as she wondered how bad it must have hurt to get attacked by the wolves. Carmilla noticed.

            “Don’t worry,” Carmilla said with a grimace. “I’m not easy to kill. I’ve tried.”

            Confusion came across Laura’s face. The implication there was there. She was saying that she had tried to kill herself before. If she really had tried though, it was impossible that she was still laying here before her. Right? If not, then what was the meaning behind that?

            Laura had more questions for her than ever, but she just couldn’t bring herself to ask them at the moment. It wasn’t the right time. It felt wrong to ask her questions when she seemed in such a vulnerable position.

            “You should try and get some rest,” Laura stated as she removed the towel from Carmilla’s face. “It’ll help.”

            “I don’t sleep sweetheart,” Carmilla replied softly.

            Laura couldn’t believe that she was serious. Sleep was necessary for the body to survive. It didn’t seem like she was joking though. Instead of asking what she meant, she placed a soft touch on Carmilla’s bare arm.

            “Then don’t, but at least lie down for a little while and try.”

            Carmilla grumbled something about it not working but closed her eyes and turned on her side facing away from Laura.

            Laura removed her hand from Carmilla’s arm and silently picked up all the items on the nightstand. A part of her wanted to stay and make sure that she slept and got the rest she needed to heal, but she needed her rest too. Besides, there was something too intimate about waiting by her bedside all night.

            She looked at LaFontaine who gave her a small nod as she gestured to the door with her head. LaFontaine, Will, Mrs. Potts and Perry followed her out the room.

            Will stared at Carmilla for a minute before cracking the door closed behind him.

            “Thank you, Miss,” Mrs. Potts said to Laura.

            “We are eternally grateful,” LaFontaine added.

            Laura peered through the crack in the door at Carmilla lying in bed, she couldn’t see her face, but hoped that she was trying to get some sleep.

            The staff talked about Carmilla so caringly despite how she treated all of them. It perplexed Laura.

            “Why do you care so much about her?”

            Perry then swooped in and settled right next to LaFontaine.

            “We’ve looked after her all her life,” Mrs. Potts replied. “From when she was young baby to now. She’s in our hearts, no matter how she sees us.”

            “But,” Laura looked back at Carmilla again. “She somehow has you… living like this. It doesn’t seem fair. You treat her with kindness despite it all and it seems like you did nothing to deserve this. Nothing at all.”

            The staff suddenly diverted their eyes away from Laura and each other. An awkward silence filled the hallway. There was something unspoken between all of them.

            “You’re not wrong about that,” Perry answered after a moment. “Carmilla lost her father when she was very young. After that, her cruel stepmother took all the kindness and heart that her father had given her and twisted her to be just like her… and we did absolutely nothing about it. Like you said- nothing. We did nothing. Her father was so kind and gentle, he would be so disappointed that we let her become what she did after he passed.”

            So Carmilla hadn’t always been like this. Laura’s questions were just piling up, waiting to be answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but LaFontaine didn’t give her the chance.

            “Let’s let her rest,” LaFontaine spoke as they fully closed the door. “As should we. There’s always time more conversation tomorrow.”

            The staff began walking away to wherever they rested. Laura’s curiosity was killing her and she didn’t want to wait any further for answers, but instead of words, a yawn manifest on her face. All the adrenaline was finally fading.

            This felt like the longest day Laura had ever had. It felt longer than the day that she had three final exams in one day her freshman year at Silas University.

            Reluctantly, she left the staff go and headed off in the direction of her bedroom.

            She didn’t go directly to bed when she got back. The night sky caught her attention as she walked in and found herself standing on the balcony. She peered off into the forest, still unable to see anything but the trees. She could’ve been home by now. She had a chance to leave tonight and she didn’t take it. She could’ve left Carmilla hurt and bleeding on the icy pond, but Laura didn’t feel that anyone deserved that. Laura could blame her for putting her life in danger in the first place, however Carmilla didn’t have to go out there and save Laura’s life.

            After everything, she couldn’t help but wonder why Carmilla had done that. It didn’t seem that Laura’s life meant anything to her. It shouldn’t mean anything to her. She was a prisoner here. She couldn’t have cared.

            Laura was questioning everything about her first impression of Carmilla. There was something about the way Carmilla talked to her today and the way the staff talked about her that made her wonder if she really was such a beast. She certainly looked like it. People still cared for her though. If she had people that still cared for her, there had to be time where she wasn’t so bad. There must be something good underneath the fangs and claws that Laura wasn’t seeing.

            She thought that she was just one of those monsters and villains that you read about on the news or in storybooks. Now she wasn’t quite sure she was seeing the entire picture.

            Laura shook her head. She was still a prisoner here; her escape attempt had gone completely sideways. Maybe there would be another chance. With Carmilla injured, it could have been the opportunity she needed but she was currently too exhausted to try.

            Carmilla was the one that put her in this situation, and she could easily let her out of this situation. Something drew Laura to the her though. There had to be more to her than just being a roaring asshole. For the first time, she had seen something from Carmilla besides anger and apathy.

            Her eyes started feeling heavy as she leaned against the balcony railing. She couldn’t hold off sleep any longer. She pushed herself off the railing and towards dresser. She needed to change before heading to bed. Her clothes were still wet from the snow and had traces of the black liquid from Carmilla.

            She put on a pair of flannel sweats and a black tank top, then flopped onto the bed.

            The yellow pillow amongst the excess number of pillows caught her attention. There was only one and it reminded her of the one had had back in her apartment. It was just as plush and soft as the one at home. She wrapped herself in the blankets and pulling it close.

            Sleep quickly overcame her as she thought about the other woman sleeping on the opposite side of the castle.

-------

            “Please Mother, nooooo,” a young Carmilla screamed as her stepmother drug her out of her room by the collar of her shirt.

            “You know I don’t want to do this Mircalla, but you have given me no choice,” Mother responded.

            “I’ll be better, I promise,” Carmilla pleaded with her. She didn’t want to go back there, it was dark and scary. She could barely move in there.

            “You’ve embarrassed me for the last time Mircalla,” her stepmother kept her hand on her shirt, dragging her down the stairs towards the kitchen. “You will learn to do as your told. You will learn how to be a proper princess.”

            “I’m sorry mother, but I didn’t want to hurt that girl,” Carmilla was crying her eyes out. She didn’t regret what she did because it was the right thing to do like her father had taught her. However, she couldn’t help but second-guess it as Mother was punishing her for it.

            “She’s a mere peasant Mircalla, she doesn’t matter to people like us. She embarrassed the castle, she embarrassed you and she embarrassed me. It wasn’t about hurting her, it was about helping yourself. About helping me. You’ll understand eventually.”

            The got to the kitchen doors and Mother pulled Carmilla from dragging her feet. She removed her hand from her shirt collar and placed it around the back of her neck, behind her hair. This was a silent signal for Carmilla to straighten up and act properly, so Carmilla did as she was told.

            Satisfied with Carmilla’s reaction, Mother threw the kitchen doors open and discreetly pushed Carmilla along with her through the doors.

            All of the staff looked up at them, stopping whatever they were doing. Probably cleaning up from lunch.

            “Leave us,” Mother told them with a wave of her hand.

            Only Mrs. Potts hesitated while the rest of the staff quickly exited through the back door. Mrs. Potts stood there for a moment, making eye contact with Carmilla. Carmilla did her best to send out a silent plea with her eyes.

            “Problem?” Mother stared daggers at Mrs. Potts.

            She removed her eyes from Carmilla’s and looked at Mother. She shook her head and followed in the footsteps of the other kitchen staff.

            As soon as the kitchen was completely clear, Mother dragged her once more towards the darkest corner in the kitchen. She unlocked and opened a small door on the floor.

            It looked the same as always. Small, dark and dank. Carmilla fought against her stepmother’s hand, her efforts useless.

            “You will stay in here and think upon your actions,” she said coldly and then threw Carmilla into the small space in the floor. “You will be allowed out once I feel that you’ve understood the consequences of your actions.”

            Carmilla landed on her hands and knees, quickly turning her body over to look up at Mother on her buttocks. She was standing over the door with a cruel grin. It was the last thing she saw before the door above her slammed shut.

            The sight of the door coming down made her arms give out and she fell back, her head hitting the dirt underneath her.

            She heard the bolt lock and Carmilla was now alone. She had nothing but her own thoughts for company in the dark confined space.

            Carmilla opened her eyes and pulled herself out the blurry, unpleasant memory. She groaned and rolled over onto her side.

Despite her knowing that she couldn’t sleep, she spent the whole night trying with Laura’s voice in her head telling her to rest. Before Laura, she hadn’t tried to sleep in a century or two. She couldn’t even remember the feeling of sleep. She knew it was supposed pleasant feeling, but that feeling no longer existed in her life.  No matter how many times she tried, it never happened.

            Laura had asked her try and so she did, no matter how useless she knew it was going to be. God, that girl… Carmilla’s thoughts wandered to Laura for the hundredth time since Laura had left her room. She couldn’t get her out of her head no matter how hard she tried. It was either Laura on her mind or Mother and her past life. She found that she preferred the former.

Laura was so different than anyone she had ever met. She didn’t cower from Carmilla’s anger. She had shown fear, but she met that with fierce determination instead of cowardice. While Carmilla didn’t quite like it, it was surprisingly refreshing. Everyone else in the castle showed their fear and reacted as Carmilla expected them too.

Carmilla turned her attention to the sounds of the castle. She heard footsteps in the castle, coming closer to her room. Also, there was familiar heartbeat that matched the distance of those footsteps. She closed her eyes once more as the door to her room opened.

            The footsteps stopped close behind her, if she could get them, she would have chills down her spine. The heartbeat was now pounding in ears. Laura’s heartbeat. She wasn’t hearing it because she was hungry. After Laura had gone to sleep, JP and Kirsch brought her a few glasses full of blood to help her heal and sate her growing thirst from the wounds the wolves had given her. She hadn’t been at full strength for that battle.

            If she had, she would have been completely fine against the predators. Unfortunately, her anger had led her to go for a night run in her panther form. Shifting to and from her panther form was taxing on her body. She had just shifted back last night when she heard the wolves chasing Laura down. The damn wolves kept people out of her castle, she didn’t know that they would keep people in as well.

            She wasn’t sure why she was so focused on hearing Laura’s heartbeat. At first, she always heard it out of thirst, but it was a different feeling now. It had become the opposite of what it was supposed to be. It had become comforting somehow.

            Laura had shuffled around next her. Carmilla heard her sit down on the chair next to her bed and then the pages of a book being turned.

            She rolled over onto her back, grateful that her wounds had healed quickly and completely after the drinks last night. She opened her eyes to see Laura at her bedside. Laura’s eyes were glued to the book, she hadn’t realized that Carmilla rolled over to look at her.

            It gave Carmilla a moment to study the girl. She was a comforting sight. It was odd that she opted to be here right now. Carmilla expected her to stay away after everything, but here she was checking in on her. She was incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were a shade of honey brown, so full of warmth. The girl didn’t wear any makeup like she seen in most woman in the past. She didn’t need it.

            A small smile slipped onto Carmilla’s lips as she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of Laura’s heartbeat.

            The music was interrupted by the sound of the door opening again. It was followed by the sounded of metal clanking on the wooden floor among other things against the floor. Her staff was here now too.

            She had wished they would go away and leave her alone with Laura. For some reason, she was extremely intrigued by the girl. There was something about her…

            Her thoughts were interrupted by the trembling and shaking of the castle. She heard rubble falling all around the castle. She didn’t have to open her eyes to know what that meant. Another petal had fallen from the rose. It was happening more often now. She didn’t know why it had been sped up. She didn’t want to remember what that meant for her.

            The rumbling faded and she heard footsteps walking away from her. They were neutral against the wood floor, but they changed with sound of stone underneath them.

            “Why does this rose mean so much to her?” Laura asked.

            A moment of silence passed, sounds of antiques shifting uncomfortably. They all knew that Carmilla didn’t sleep. They knew that she had to be listening to them.

            “You see,” Kirsch spoke up. “uhhh, a long time ago there was a witch who cursed Carmilla and everyone in the castle to be the way we are. That rose shows how much time we have left.”

            “Kirsch…” she heard Will mumble under his breath.

            “What bro,” he asked. “She asked and if she’s gonna be here when the last petal falls, she’ll find out anyways. She’s probably been dying to know for a while. Talking household items aren’t really a normal thing you know.”

            “How much time until what?” Laura interrupted Kirsch. “What happens when the last petal falls?

            “The master remains a beast forever,” LaFontaine continued. “And the rest of us become…”

            “Antiques,” Mrs. Potts answered.

            “Knickknacks,” LaFontaine said.

            “Lightly used houseware,” Perry added.

            “Rubbish,” Will sighed. “We become rubbish.”

            “How long have you all been like this?” Laura asked.

            “Hmmm… It’s 2019, no? So… almost three hundred years,” Will replied.

            “Three hundred years? Is that why you all talk so funny? But if that’s the case and you all have never left the castle and it has never been remodeled… How is all of this possible?”

            “I don’t think we talk funny,” Kirsch mumbled.

            “Well, we never leave the castle,” Will answered. “But her majesty used to every so often. Not so much anymore.”

            “As for the castle,” LaFontaine added. “We just noticed that it tends to shift and change as time does. It’s magic. Like one day, a record player with some vinyl records showed up and we were all so confused. Then the ceiling lights with switches! It was crazy. When the TVs showed up, we all almost lost our minds trying to figure out how to work them. Every few years something new and exciting just pops up. I do enjoy trying to figure out what they all do though.”

            “That’s… interesting,” Laura responded.

            The idea of magic must’ve been hard for Laura to digest. If Carmilla had not seen it all first hand, she would be skeptical too. She had actually been in denial for some time after the visit from the enchantress. She wanted to believe that it was all just a bad dream. However, you wake up from dreams. If this was a dream, Carmilla had been dying to wake up from it.

            “I want to help you,” Laura stated confidently. “There must be some way to lift the curse.”

            Carmilla went frigid. She should sit up, stop the conversation from getting away from her staff. Her body didn’t move though. A part of her did wonder what Laura’s reaction would be if she knew how the curse was to be broken. On the other hand, Carmilla didn’t want to know in fear of her pulling away from getting to know her. She didn’t want Laura to feel the burden that she felt. Also, Carmilla wasn’t keeping Laura here to break the curse. She didn’t want her to think that. She was here as company for when the curse took its permanent hold, she wouldn’t feel alone forever… and she would have someone to continue doing the jobs of the staff once they were unable too. Maybe that last thought was a lie.

            Her staff wouldn’t tell Laura the truth. They knew better than that. Maybe not…

            “Yea, there is one--” Kirsch spoke and Carmilla almost got up to rip his nonexistent throat out, but she heard someone smack him immediately.

            “It’s not for you to worry about,” Perry interrupted. “We had a part in this curse taking place, and we must accept it.”

            Laura huffed in frustration but didn’t inquire any further.

            Carmilla would have to remind herself to dangle Kirsch out the tower window later. Teach him something about doing something he knew she wouldn’t like.

            “She’s not asleep, is she?” she heard Kirsch whisper.

            “Nope,” Will whistled at him.

            “I think it’s time for me to dip,” Kirsch whispered once more and then with his wooden legs, scurried out the door.

            “Kirsch,” LaFontaine called after him, them also leaving the room.

            The rest of her staff followed, leaving her alone with Laura once more. Her heartbeat was not so steady anymore, but still strong. She sat back down on the chair.

            It was easy to hear where Laura was in the castle. She was only one in the castle with a heartbeat. Carmilla didn’t have one. She could barely remember what it was like to be warm with a thumping in her chest. She couldn’t remember the taste of food anymore. Her body had been in the form of a beast for so long, she could barely remember what it was like to be human.

            As human she could feel the warm touch of another, the taste of a new food on her tongue instead of wanting to rip someone’s throat out every time she got hungry. There was the feeling of the warm sun on her skin or the cold wind; the feeling of being tired or well rested from a night of well-deserved slumber. It was all a blurry, distant memory. It was a memory that she’ll never get back. She would never feel those things again.

            Her depressing thoughts were stopped by the sound of Laura’s voice. Laura had started reading out loud to herself in a whisper.

            “Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,” Laura spoke as Carmilla opened her eyes, revealing that Laura was not actually reading the book, just quoting it. “And therefore--”

            “And therefore, is winged Cupid painted blind.”

            Laura looked up at Carmilla in surprise. She wasn’t sure if it was because she finally opened her eyes or if it was because she had finished the quote.

            “You know Shakespeare?” Laura asked.

            “Of course, I do cutie,” Carmilla smirked. “I had an expensive education.”

            Laura blushed.

            “Actually, “Romeo and Juliet” is my favorite play,” she said sheepishly.

            “Of course, it is cupcake… Why does that not surprise me?”

            “Excuse me?” Laura asked pretending to be offended.

            Carmilla let out a small chuckle and smiled. Something warm was filling her chest as Laura joked with her.

            “There’s just so much heartache and pining, it’s really just so tragic and messed up,” Carmilla replied. “There are so many better things to read.”

            Laura rolled her eyes.

            “What do you think is better than Shakespeare?”

            “Why don’t I just show you?”

            “Show me what?”

            Carmilla chuckled again and rolled out of the bed. Laura quickly got up in protest, pushing on her to stop her from getting up. Carmilla took her hands and moved them away from her.

            “But your wounds,” Laura protested. Carmilla got out of bed and Laura stared at her side. “… Are completely healed. How?”

            “That is an answer for another time,” Carmilla dodged the question as she put on her nearest shirt. “For now, follow me.”

            “Where?” Laura asked suspiciously.

            “It’s a surprise, cupcake,” Carmilla wiggled her eyebrows. “Don’t make me ruin it.”

            Laura raised her eyebrow but got up from her chair and followed Carmilla out the door.

            Carmilla led her down the halls of the castle to an area that Laura had yet to see. She could see Laura’s eyes wander and marvel at the new area she was seeing.

            “So, they castle changes with time?” Laura asked looking at the lights in the ceiling.

            “For the most part,” Carmilla answered. “Outlets just started popping up all over the place and no one knew what they were. Will electrocuted himself by sticking his arm in it.”

Laura laughed and it was infectious, Carmilla found herself chuckling with her.

“We figured it out eventually,” Carmilla continued. “There was this one day, a refrigerator and just popped up in the kitchen. JP freaked out and ran out of the kitchen in a panic. He wondered if he was going to be replaced eventually, but they remain the same as antiques.”

            “That’s… impossible,” Laura stated.

            “I thought so too cupcake, had I not seen it with my own eyes.”

            Carmilla kept looking at Laura every few seconds as they made their way through the castle. Laura’s smile was so contagious. Her eyes sparkled with such innocence and curiosity. She truly was incredibly beautiful. Carmilla let out a small cough and tore her eyes from Laura. She had to stop thinking of such things. Laura would never as anything other than a beast. Laura couldn’t possibly feel anything positive towards her. Especially as long as she kept her here against her will.

            Carmilla stopped in front of large, purple double doors.

            “This is it,” Carmilla told Laura, then reached with her hands, pushing the large doors wide open.

            Her library was single largest room in the castle aside from the ballroom. The walls were lined with many bookshelves, not a single open space between them. There were ladders that led up to a second tier of bookshelves. A few smaller bookshelves sat on the ground floor with some small desks in between them. There was a large globe in the middle of the room next to a large desk that was piled high with books. Carmilla had plenty of blurry memories sitting at that desk, studying hour after hour.

            “There should be something in here that you could start with,” Carmilla stated. “So many better books than Shakespeare…”

            Carmilla turned around to see that Laura had stopped at the entrance of the library. Her eyes were swimming with amazement.

            “It’s… incredible,” Laura breathed out.

            Carmilla felt her eyebrows shoot up. She had been around it so much, she had forgotten that some people didn’t have what she did. Laura would probably enjoy this a lot more than she did. She was hardly in here anymore because she had read all of these books at least once. There hadn’t been much for her to do around here besides read over the last three-hundred years give or take.

            “Well,” Carmilla walked over to put herself next to Laura. “If you like it so much, you can have it. Feel free to visit it or whatever whenever you want. It’s yours.”

            Laura didn’t respond, instead she walked further into the library and ran her hands over the shelves. Her eyes were searching, but they weren’t searching for anything specific. Laura looked right at home here and Carmilla couldn’t be any happier for her.

            Carmilla had almost forgotten what that felt like to have warm company. Seeing Laura flit around the library brought a smile to her face. She was a large ray of sunshine, giving Carmilla warmth and happiness. It wasn’t a two-way street though. No matter how many libraries Carmilla was willing to give her, Carmilla was her warden and would never provide her with that same feeling she felt.

            Laura’s attention was lost in the book stacks. Carmilla’s presence was forgotten so she turned to the exit. Thinking it would be best to leave Laura to the books and give her some time alone in here. It was her space now after all.

            “Have you really read every one of these books?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla turned around and saw Laura staring at her through the book stacks, eyes wide with wonder.

            “Of course, not,” Carmilla smirked. “Some of them are in Greek.”

            Laura laughed genuinely. It was a beautiful sound in Carmilla’s ears. It was almost as beautiful as her heartbeat.

            “Are you joking? Can you read Greek?”

            Carmilla smirked and then shrugged.

            “I can read a lot of languages, sundance.”

            “Which ones?”

            “Hmmm… now why would I tell you that,” Carmilla asked slyly. “I have to keep some of my air of mystery.”

            Laura rolled her eyes.

            Carmilla’s eyes ran over the main desk in the center, remembering that this more than an ordinary library. She had more to tell Laura about her new space.

            She sauntered over to the desk, leaning her on top of one of the stacks.

            “Every once in a while,” Carmilla called Laura’s attention. “A new book will appear on this desk. The kinds of books vary. I got a manual on how to repair a car once, even though I had no idea what a car was. Learned about that.”

            Laura slowly made her way over to the opposite side of the desk, looking on top and underneath it. Probably trying to figure out if it was magic or something else.

            “About two decades ago, the first Harry Potter book appeared,” Carmilla continued her point. “Different genres, manuals, guides, etc.”

            “You’ve read all the Harry Potter books?” Laura asked in surprise.

            “There’s not much else to do but read when you’re stuck here for a few centuries.”

            Laura giggled and then disappeared in the book stacks. If she had a beating heart, she could’ve sworn that it skipped a beat.

            No longer feeling needed, Carmilla turned and exited the library, taking a one more glimpse at the small girl.

            “Will I see you at dinner?” Laura called through the stacks.

            “Wouldn’t miss it cupcake,” Carmilla responded.

Chapter Text

            Danny’s footsteps felt heavy as she stomped through the woods with her shotgun slung around her back. She felt her feet snapping twigs and kicking up dirt was she walked. The search for Sherman had been called off immediately after he had showed up at the precinct. There was no more search now- no one was looking for Laura. No one really believed she was missing in the first place. They all thought that she had skipped town and left for her “adventure”.

            Most the town thought that Laura wasn’t right in the head, but Danny knew differently. She had tried to convince Oliver to file a missing person’s report on Laura, but she hadn’t been missing long enough to file one. There was no evidence that she was in immediate danger other than a very hurt and confused man’s words. They all believed that her was mental.

            “We should have never left him in the first place,” Mel said angrily from behind Danny.

            Sweat was dripped down her face. Danny wondered how the forest could’ve gone from being so cold and wet last night to his kind of heat and humidity. It was incredibly hot it was now.

            “I know, Mel,” Danny sighed with guilt. “You don’t have to tell me twice, but there were wolves around and I was scared. Not to mention, it felt like Sherman wasn’t in his right mind. There is no castle in Silas and a beast… It doesn’t exist. I was scared, I have never come across that many wolves in a pack around here. By the time I realized that he wasn’t behind us, we were already too far away.”

            “I guess all we can do is find him now,” Mel mumbled. “I still can’t believe that he tried to run away from the direction of the car.”

            “He hit his head pretty hard during the accident Mel,” Danny spoke up. “There’s no way that he didn’t already have a concussion or some brain damage.”

            “And you probably made it worse by leaving him out here in the cold,” Mel exasperated.

            “The cold was the least of his problems last I checked,” Danny added.

            Danny swiped away at a branch in front of her. Laura hadn’t been seen in a while, but apparently her teachers got an email for her saying that she was taking some time off due to her father’s health. It was odd because Laura had not seen her father in two days even though rumor had gotten around that he was back in town.

            Laura could have decided to run away on a whim. She had a huge desire to travel the world and leave Silas but running away wasn’t like her.  She wouldn’t have left her father and her studies behind with no explanation. Besides, she also had no means or money to travel.

            When they went to check Sherman’s house last night, Laura’s car had still been in the driveway. Danny remembered where the spare key was, so they checked inside, and her stuff still sat in her childhood bedroom.

They also went to check Laura’s apartment after that. She had to spout some lies about being Laura’s girlfriend in order to get into her apartment. Luckily, Laura’s nice, next door neighbor, Mr. Jean, vouched that he had seen Danny around a quite a few times with Laura. Danny had somehow managed to get her into the apartment which was untouched. Everything was still in its place and there was no sign that Laura had returned to grab anything.

            They turned up with nothing as both places. Danny was starting to worry. When she tried to call her, it went straight to voicemail and still no replies to her texts. It wasn’t like her.

             “He’s not here,” Mel sighed. “There’s no sign of him.”

            “This is exactly where we left him though,” Danny whined. “He couldn’t have gone too far in his condition.”

            She felt super guilty for leaving him to the wolves last night. It was a coward move, she and Mel were the ones with the shotguns. Sherman had no weapon of any kind on him.

            “I think we should go to the police station and tell them that he’s missing… again.”

            “And tell them what? That we took him out here to try and find his daughter, but then abandoned him in the woods because some large wolves chased after us? We’ll sound just as crazy as he does.”

            “We can say that we took him out here to look for any signs of Laura and then he took off into the woods without us. They would believe that. He doesn’t exactly have a lot of credibility right now.”

            Danny looked at the ground. The guilt of leaving Sherman in the woods last night grew heavier and really hoped that he was okay. She had just been so angry with him. When he kept ranting about the stupid beast and the castle, it just made no sense. The only conclusion that she could come up with was that Sherman was not in his right mind, and that Laura was in danger somewhere. That her father hiding what really happened behind fake stories. Then she lost her mind.

            “Let’s go to the police station,” Danny sighed.

            They turned back toward where they had parked the truck.

            Danny opened the bed and tossed her shotgun and backpack in. She shut the it hard. This was getting more frustrating for Danny. All she was hoping for was to find Sherman, bring him to Laura and then get a chance to talk to her and explain herself. Instead, she was now looking for Sherman again without knowing where Laura was and if she was doing okay.

            Everyone believed that Laura was just off somewhere studying or trying to plan a trip out of town. Sherman’s rants about impossible things wasn’t helping either. People were just starting to believe that he was sick from the accident.

            Danny and Mel drove back to town in silence, Kane Brown playing through the speakers.

            They pulled into the police station parking lot and Danny sighed. The idea of lying only made her guilt grow more, but she couldn’t risk getting arrest for something like this. She had too much riding on her shoulders to screw it all up now.

            “So,” Mel finally spoke. “We took him into the woods last night, hoping that he would lead us to Laura. Instead of finding her, he lost his mind about the beast and Laura then ran into the woods.”

            “Exactly,” Danny sighed. “No more details other than that.”

            Mel nodded as they got out of the car.

            Danny pushed open the doors to the police station and faltered as she saw who was at the front desk. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her heart both dropped and soared at the same time.

            “Sherman,” Danny breathed out of relief. He wasn’t hurt or dead and the guilt was lifted off her shoulders. “We’ve been looking for you for everywhere!”

            Sherman turned, his eyes wide and then turned into anger. The guilt fell back onto her.

            “Danny, why did you take Sherman into the woods last night? Better yet, why did you leave him there?”

            Danny shoved down a gulp. Now was the time to tell her story.

            “Mel and I combed through the wood for hours looking for you,” Danny approached the front desk. “You shouldn’t have run off like that.”

            “Run off,” Sherman questioned. “I didn’t run off. You two heard a pack of wolves and ran off scared with only weapons we had. I tried to follow, but I tripped, hit my head and lost consciousness then you just left me there. You just left me there in the middle of the woods!”

            Danny held her hands up. She was too deep in it now to back out. Sherman was livid. She couldn’t go down for this old man. Even if he is Laura’s father. There was too much had riding on her. She could fuck it all up now.

            “Whoa, whoa,” Danny backed away from Sherman a bit. “I didn’t do that. Why would I do that? You don’t remember? I followed you into the woods last night because you insisted that Laura was there. After a few minutes of walking in the woods, you took off. I tried to follow you, but the forest was too thick.”

            Sherman’s face started getting red with anger and frustration. Danny didn’t know what was going to happen here, but she had more credibility with the police than Sherman did right now. He opened his mouth to say something, but then Officer Jackson spoke.

            “Do you have any proof that Danny left you in the woods?”

            Sherman turned to the officer at the desk, looking like he was trying to calm himself.

            “Elle,” Sherman gritted and pointed. “She saved me from hypothermia and the animals.”

            Danny turned to see the small woman, named Elle sitting in one the waiting chairs in the room. Danny had seen her around before. Elle was the only homeless person in the town. There’s no way they would take Elle’s word against her own.

            “Officer Jackson,” Danny spoke before Elle could. “I’m sure that Elle did a good job in finding Sherman and bringing him back to the town. We really are thankful for that, but she wasn’t there when Sherman ran off. Were you?”

            Danny gave a pointed look at Sherman and Elle.

            Elle shook her head.

            “What did you see?” Danny asked.

            “I found him unconscious in the woods,” Elle responded softly. “That’s all I saw.”

            “See! I was unconscious!” Sherman shouted.

            “You must’ve hit your head after you ran off,” Danny had to steel her voice to a normal level. “I’m so sorry that we couldn’t find you. Thank goodness that Elle did.”

            Danny wasn’t sure what the consequences of abandoning a man in the woods to die was, but no matter, she would lose everything if she got into trouble with the law. Her parents would kill her, she would lose her scholarship at Silas, her spot at President of the Summer Society, everything she worked so hard these past couple years for…

            Also, her family name was everything to her family. They would lose so much if it was even tainted a little bit. Danny had been such an angel child for her parents, she couldn’t mess it all up now. It was all worth a little guilt. The worst that could happen to Sherman was that people would blame it all on the accident.

            “I-I-,” Sherman stuttered getting red again. “Mel was there! She can tell you what happened!”

            Mel widened her eyes, but quickly composed herself. Danny did her best not to make any obvious reactions to that statement. She trusted that Mel was on her side, it was her idea to lie after all. The guilt in her only continued to grow.

            She gestured at Mel.

            “Mel was there,” Danny offered. “If you don’t believe me officer, I totally get that. It’s all good. Mel, can tell you what happened.”

            Mel’s eyes flickered between Danny and Sherman. Sherman was giving her a very force small smile.

            “You see,” Mel started. “After we escorted Sherman out of the police station, we really believed that Laura was lost in the woods, so we decided to try to find her. When we got there, he… uhhhhh… mumbled something about the beast and Laura and took off into the woods.”

            Sherman’s face fell to the ground and Danny didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or cringe from guilt. Instead, she ran her hand through her hair. She really need a drink after all of this.

Suddenly Sherman lunged at Danny. He grabbed ahold of her shirt collar and tugged on it, trying to bring her down to his height. She quickly backed away from his grasp, but it was strong. Officer Jackson leapt over the fence and grabbed Sherman’s arm that was holding Danny’s shirt.

            “Sherman,” he yelled as he freed Danny’s shirt from his hand. “She’s just a kid and you’re an older man, don’t do this!

            Danny leaned against the front desk. She needed a moment to catch her breath. She really didn’t mean for all this to happen. Her lie was quickly spinning into a large web of catastrophe and she couldn’t stop it. It was beyond too late now. No one would ever trust her word again if she told the truth now.

            She couldn’t believe that she had lied about his. Everyone would have understood them if they explained they were running away from wolves. But they would want descriptions and location. She couldn’t even think about how to start to describe seeing a very large, white wolf in the midst of the woods. As far as she and everyone else knew, there were no white wolves around here. She would have sounded just as crazy as Sherman.

            “I really think you need to go to the hospital,” Officer Jackson stated. “I can take you there. You’re not well. I think that the accident has really done something to your head.”

            “I’m fine,” Sherman struggled against the officer. “I don’t need to go to the hospital!”

            It all went sideways so quickly, and it was Danny’s fault. Sherman didn’t deserve this.

            Sherman’s elbow flew up and into the officer’s nose. Officer Jackson stumbled backwards and then two other officers converged on Sherman, holding his hands behind his back. It didn’t even look like Sherman had realized what he had done, he was still struggling against the officers’ hold.

            Danny’s mouth almost dropped to the floor. Yup, this was slowly becoming worse and worse the longer she stayed her and her guilt only grew with it. She had to get out of here.

            Sherman stilled, eyes wide after realizing what had happened.

            “I-I-,” his eyes were wide and defeated. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you, sir. I swear it was an accident.”

            Blood was spilling out of Officer Jackson’s nose.

            “You’ve got to be kidding me Sherman,” he yelled. “You’re out of your mind!”

            Danny was just watching the events unfold in front of her, she knew that she should say something, but didn’t know what to say. Everyone would lose trust in her. She wasn’t a kid anymore, they couldn’t even blame her for immaturity. Her parents would absolutely kill her if they found out the she had spun a lie that led to this.

            Oliver finally came out of his office, confused at the scene before him.

            “What’s going on?” he said angrily looking at Danny.

            Danny didn’t know what to say, she just stared at Oliver. Nothing coming out of her mouth. He gave her a ‘what the fuck’ look when she didn’t answer.

            He turned to Jackson who was holding up his nose, blood still spilling out.

            “He came in here ranting about Laura and the beast and Danny leaving him in the woods,” he said with blood coming down face. “He tried to hit Danny and then when I tried to stop him, he accidently hit me in the face.”

            “Sherman,” Oliver said calmly. “You hit one of my officers?”
            “I didn’t mean to, it was an accident,” Sherman was panicking. “I was just trying to explain that Danny abandoned me in the forest after we went to attack the beast that has Laura trapped.”

            Oliver shook his head. Danny knew that as a practical man, Oliver wasn’t buying a word of it from Sherman.

            “You can’t keep doing this Sherman,” he sighed. “You hit your head and aren’t thinking properly. You need to see a doctor. I’m not going to ask tell you again.”

            “I don’t need a doctor,” Sherman insisted. “Laura. Has. Been. Kidnapped! I need to save her from the beast!”

            Sherman started struggling against the officer’s again. Danny should’ve left a long time ago. Her presence probably wasn’t the most calming thing for him right now. But she couldn’t bring her feet to move her out the door.

            “Don’t do this Sherman,” Oliver warned.

            Danny needed to fix this situation, she needed to make it better without revealing that she had been lying this entire time. She needed to fix this mess that she made.

            “I’m so sorry Sherman, we’ll find out what happened to Laura,” she said calmly. “We’ll find her, but you need to get better so that when we do find her, you’ll be well.”

            Sherman held a glare to her eyes. No sign of any positive emotion in him, he looked so emotional drained. Physically, he wasn’t doing too much better. He should have gone to the hospital.

            “Don’t tell me what to do you liar,” Sherman spat at her. “I know what I saw, and I feel fine right now. Just leave me and Laura alone.”

            Danny wiped the spit off her face that was spat out as he spoke. She had to step back before she had the situation worse. That’s all she was doing right now and she felt awful about it.

            “That’s it. You’re going to the hospital whether you like it or not,” Oliver said loudly.

            Sherman immediately went to protest.

            “And you have no say in this,” Oliver continued. “You assaulted one of my officer’s right in my precinct. Handcuff him and bring him to the hospital. I want him handcuffed to the hospital bed and an officer posted outside of the room until he has healed. Then you can let him go.”

            Danny watched as the officer’s handcuffed Sherman. This was the last thing she wanted, but at least he was finally able to go get the help he desperately needed.

            Oliver composed himself and continued speaking.

            “You may not think this is good for you now, but in time you’ll see that this was best. If Laura truly has been kidnapped, we’ll find her. If she is and we do, she’ll want to see you healthy and well.”

            The officers escorted Sherman out as he struggled useless against the handcuffs. Even though he was weak from the accident, Danny had to admit that the old man could put up a good fight.

            “She’s in danger,” Sherman yelled. “You have to find her!”

            Danny realized that the fight in him came from the love for his daughter. Crazy or not, he truly did believe that Laura was danger in somewhere. Despite how crazy her sounded, Danny really did trust his judgement when it came to his daughter. She just didn’t know how she could voice it to everyone when they all called Sherman insane. There was no way that she would let the townspeople label her the same.

            Danny, Mel and Oliver alone were now alone in the lobby.

            “As you for,” Oliver turned towards Danny. “What were you thinking taking him out to the woods last night? I thought you were taking him to the hospital.”

            Danny took a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Well, so much for lying for her credibility now. She did remember telling Oliver that she was going to take him to the hospital.

            “H-He,” Danny ran her hand over her hair. She couldn’t add another lie to her story. “I’m sorry. I know that despite him not making any sense at all, he is Laura’s father. Even though is mind may not be in the right place, I think that his heart is. Despite everything, I really, truly think that he believes that something has happened to Laura.”

            Oliver sighed and shook his head towards the ground. Maybe if she could get a search going for Laura, things would get better. She wanted to ease herself of this guilt that she had built up in the last day.

            “Okay, we’ll look into Laura’s alleged disappearance,” he said to Danny. “But Sherman stays out of this. I can’t stand his delusions of beasts and castles.”

            “Thank you, Oliver, if there is anything I can do to help--”

            “You’ve done enough right now Danny,” Oliver interrupted. “Go home. I’ll call you if we find anything.”

            Danny nodded, but she wasn’t going to just sit around and do nothing. That wasn’t what she did. If Laura was in danger, she was going to help. She gestured at Mel that it was time to go.

            “See you later, Oliver,” Mel waved at him.

            “Yea,” he waved them off half-heartedly. “See you.”

            Danny and Mel left the precinct without another word.

            “We’re not just going to go home, are we?” Mel asked.

            Danny shook her head.

            “We’re going home, but we’re not just going to sit around and do nothing. Let’s get the girls together and start figuring out a plan. It’s all going to work out.”

--------

            Sherman huffed and tugged on the handcuff that had him locked down on the hospital bed.

            He couldn’t believe that he was here right now. Laura was out there, locked in a cold tower with on one looking for her. She would be expecting him to get her help. It didn’t seem like that was an option at this point. His daughter was going to be lost to that monster.

            The beast that no one believed him about. He knew that it all sounded completely insane, but it was truth. He couldn’t and wouldn’t tell anyone but the truth. His head was clear and he could still picture the awful creature in his mind.

            The beast’s red eyes and sharp teeth. It was shorter and smaller than him physically, but it was just more than that. Its strength and speed were unnatural for a human being. He knew that Laura wasn’t safe. For goodness sakes, the thing could change into an unnaturally large panther. No one is Silas was safe if that thing decided to rear it’s ugly face in the direction of the town.

            Sherman wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. He couldn’t imagine the suffering that Laura was going through right now. He didn’t know what the beast had planned for Laura, but he knew that it couldn’t be anything good. It’s red eyes were pure of something bad.

            Every second longer she was there, the more worried he grew.

            He looked around the room, looking for anything that he could use to get out of the hospital room. If no one was going to do anything about it, he would have to do it himself. He just had to get home to his gun safe and grab his old army equipment. He could do it himself. He had too now.

            He couldn’t lose Laura like he had lost his wife. Laura was all he had left. She was his precious angel that he had to protect. He just hoped Laura could hold her own before he got there. Maybe she could find an opportunity to escape. But… He didn’t want to know what the beast would do if she tried and was unsuccessful. He remembered watching it tear those wolves apart.

            “Mr. Hollis,” Sherman heard the door open and his doctor, Dr. Snow walked in. “How are you feeling?”

            “I’m feeling all better,” Sherman put on a fake smile. “When can I get out of here?”

            “We need to run a few more tests to make sure that you’re all set physically, but mentally… We’re worried about you. You suffered serious head injuries that we think it is affecting your judgement.”

            “We?” Sherman asked. Who else was she talking to? She had to be in contact with the police. He really hadn’t meant to hit the officer in the face. It was a complete accident. His temper got the better of him since the first time he came back from the army. He swore to himself that it wouldn’t happen again.

            “I, Detective Queen and Dr. Ramon,” she said slowly.

            “Dr. Ramon? Who is that?” he asked.

            “He works in the mental health department of the hospital- “

            “I’m not crazy!” Sherman yelled.

            This had to be because of the beast. No one understood him that the beast was real and that a teacup had talked to him. He saw it. It had a face and a mouth and talked to him while he sat at the fireplace. He knew it sounded crazy, but it was the truth. It was the truth. It was real.

            “I know that it all sounds completely insane, but it’s all true,” Sherman said quickly. “Laura was taken by a beast and locked in a tower in a castle in the forest. I saw it with my own two eyes. Why would I lie about this?”

            “Mr. Hollis, there is no castle in the forest and there’s no such thing as beasts,” she responded sympathetically. “I think that the trauma of the car accident caused you to maybe see or think things that aren’t real.”

            “I didn’t imagine anything,” Sherman steeled himself.

            “Well, I really think that you should just talk to Dr. Ramone for a little bit. It might help you cope better with the accident.”

            “I don’t need it,” Sherman mumbled. “I’m fine.”

            “I’m sorry Mr. Hollis, but with all the injuries that you sustained, we’re not really giving you an option right now. Laura hasn’t been answering our calls, so we’re taking over the directive and mandating that you talk to people in the psychology department. We’re allowed to keep you on a seventy-two hour hold unless deemed further by a doctor.”

            “Laura isn’t answering because she’s been kidnapped,” Sherman raised his voice at the doctor. “And no one believes me. I don’t need to be held in the psych ward.”

            Sherman sat up, yanking on the handcuffs. The doctor backed away like she was scared he was going to hurt her. It shocked him a little bit. He would never intentionally hurt someone like the doctor. He only people he ever hurt were bad guys, who wanted to hurt other people, woman and children.

            “Look,” Dr. Snow said a little shaken. “I believe that it’s been a lot for you over the last few days and I think that the accident may have brought out some underlying health issues. I’m not qualified to speak on the manner, but Dr. Ramon is.”

            “I don’t need to talk to Dr. Ramon,” Sherman repeated. “I’m fine. And my daughter has been kidnapped. I need to be out there finding her. Someone should be other there finding her if not me.”

            “We’re not asking you anymore Mr. Hollis, I’m now just informing you that we are going to be transferring you to the psychology department. The nurses will be here soon.”

            “I won’t go,” Sherman retorted.

            “Please don’t try anything Mr. Hollis,” Dr. Snow said as the door opened, and an officer entered with a few nurses in tow. “We are truly just trying to help you. Once we get ahold of you daughter, we’ll let her know when she can see you. You should really get better for her Mr. Hollis. I’ve heard that Laura is a lovely young woman.”

            Laura. His light, his love. It was killing him that she was still locked away. He should have been smarter about this whole situation. He should have known that ranting about beasts and talking tea cups wouldn’t help him. Laura definitely would have known better and been smarter about it. She shouldn’t have traded places with him. He would do it all over again and stop her if he could. It was in the past though, he couldn’t change that. He couldn’t turn back time, but her could certainly try to get her back… Just not quite yet.

            Sherman looked around the room at everyone. As much as he didn’t want to go to the psych ward, there was no way he was going to get out this. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, and he was sure that if he tried anything right now, he would make things worse for himself. They already thought he was crazy, he didn’t need them to think he was violently crazy too.

            The nurses started to surround him as the officer watched over their work. They unplugged some things and detached some of the wires from him, leaving the IV.

            They rolled him in his bed out the door, the officer was still watching him like a hawk as if he was expecting him to try something. Sherman was tired. Some rest could do him some good. It could recharge him so he could plan his next move.

            The psychology department was a few floors up and almost the same as the emergency wing, but it was like they tried to make it less of a hospital and like a more comfortable hotel. It wasn’t working though. Sherman still felt like he was being held against his will. He didn’t know how much of this was legal, but he couldn’t get in contact with Laura to help. There was no one he trusted around here to help him out.

            The nurses rolled him into a new room. It had less equipment and more chairs. There was a TV in the corner of the room and another small room that was the bathroom.

            It felt more like a prison cell rather than a hospital room, and he had been in a dinky prison cell for a few hours. He knew what that was like. This really wasn’t much better.

            “Officer, I don’t think the handcuffs will be necessary anymore,” one of the nurses said.

            “I’m sorry ma’am,” he replied. “But I won’t be removing them without a direct order from my superior.”

            The nurse nodded.

            “I’m sure we can remove them now,” a new voice said entering the room. “He’s in capable hands now. Hi Mr. Hollis, I’m Dr. Ramon. Pleasure to meet you.”

            The doctor was short and had long black hair in a ponytail. He looked a little young to be a psychologist.

            “Again, sir,” the officer started. “I-“

            “Yea, yea,” the doctor interrupted. “It’s fine. I’ll give Detective Queen a call in a little bit. Thanks for your help.”

            The officer nodded and then exited the room, probably just to stand outside until the doctor called the detective.

            “Well Mr. Hollis,” the doctor sat in one of the chairs next to him. “Let’s talk.”

Chapter Text

           Carmilla sat in the dining hall by herself with a book out and open in front of her, waiting for JP to bring out her usual dinner. He did tell her that he was going to make it look like normal dinner for Laura’s sake.

            She didn’t even want to think about how Laura would react once she found out the truth behind her diet. It was something that would come up eventually, but she wasn’t quite ready for that. Laura was just starting to warm up to her.

            There was a different feeling in the air as she sat in the dining room. It felt warmer and homelier than she had ever felt in this castle. She was anxious though. She wasn’t sure that Laura was going to show. Laura had rejected her once and Carmilla didn’t want to get her hopes up. Although, last time Carmilla had been less than welcoming.

            The more time that passed without Laura showing up, the more anxious Carmilla was getting. She had assumed that Laura wanted to eat dinner with her, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she had read all the signs wrong and Laura couldn’t see past her appearance and first impression.

            The doors to the dining hall opened and Laura ran in, almost tripping in front of Carmilla.

            “Hi!” Laura smiled widely in front of her. “I’m so sorry I’m late, I lost track of time in the library and I didn’t realize that it was getting dark. I picked out a few books from the library that I plan on reading, but I couldn’t carry too many more. I just started reading one of them and couldn’t put it down. I hope it’s all right that I removed it from the library-“

            Carmilla chuckled and Laura stopped talking.

            “It’s all right cutie,” Carmilla genuinely smiled at her. “JP is still working on dinner. And yes, it’s all right that you took the book out of the library. It’s yours now. No need to ask me for permission.”

            Laura blushed and made her way to the chair on the opposite side of the table.

            “Ah, Laura,” JP said coming from the kitchen. “Perfect timing. Dinner is ready. I hope you like tomato soup. It’s homemade from the garden.”

            “That sound perfect,” Laura smiled as JP set her bowl down. “It smells amazing.”

            Laura placed three books down on the table as she licked her lips.

             “And your specialty soup, Master,” JP placed a bowl full of thick red liquid in front of her. It looked like JP had chopped up some raw meat and vegetables and just tossed them in bowl of blood.

            “Uhhh…” Carmilla looked at the bowl unsure. “Thanks JP.”

            JP stopped for a moment and looked at her with confusion.

            “Is it alright?” He asked with hesitation.

            “It’ll do,” Carmilla replied under her breath.

            Carmilla had barely touched real food since before the enchantress turned her into beast. The one time she tried it, only a day after she turned, it tasted like rotten, spoiled milk. The thought of that taste made her stomach turn. This was for Laura’s sake though. Besides, the majority of the “soup” was blood anyway.

            “What’s wrong with it?” Laura asked curiously.

            Now wasn’t the time to get into her specific diet with Laura. She didn’t really want to spoil Laura’s food with talking about it.

            “Nothing,” Carmilla gave her a small smile. “It’s just something new. I haven’t tried anything new in a while.”

            Laura nodded and then picked up her spoon. She dipped the spoon into her bowl, bringing it to her mouth and blowing on the hot liquid.

            Carmilla watched as her lips as she blew on the soup. They looked soft and warm, the complete opposite of Carmilla’s. Carmilla hardly looked in a mirror now these days, but she knew that her lips were pale and cold unlike Laura’s soft pink ones.

            Laura’s spoon lowered a little bit and Carmilla realized that Laura had caught her staring at her lips. If she could blush, she would have. Instead, she made eye contact with her and winked. She was actually grateful at the moment that she didn’t have blood running through her veins.

Laura blushed and it was so worth getting caught staring at her lips.

            Carmilla looked back down at her own bowl. It was an odd mix of smells. There was the strong metallic scent that was sweet and delicious, but it also smelled… off. It was like something wasn’t quite right with her food. Well, she had to give it a taste.

            She picked up her bowl, brought it to her lips and started downing the liquid. She was a lot hungrier than she thought she was. The liquid was sweet down her throat and it tasted completely normal to her then she felt something solid enter her mouth.

            It was sour on her tongue, tasting like something already rotten had been left out in the sun too long. She fought the urge to spit the food and liquid out all over the table. She forced the food down, not wanting to cause any suspicion in Laura’s mind. Laura already had enough questions in her head right now.

            Some of the thick liquid dripped from the corners of her mouth. Her face must have given something away because Laura was staring at her with a concerned, confused look. She just responded with a small smile.

            Carmilla grabbed her napkin quickly wiped off her face, staring at her bowl. Her mother would have scolded her for being so messy. Her mother would have scolded her for a lot of things that she had done over the past two centuries. She always wondered what happened to her mother. She wasn’t anywhere in the castle that Carmilla saw and she had looked pretty thoroughly for her.

            She pushed the bowl away from her- she wasn’t going to be finishing that any time soon.

            “Finish already?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla met Laura’s eyes. Laura looked slightly worried, but also gave her a small questioning smile. Carmilla couldn’t let Laura think that there was anything wrong with her food. She didn’t want Laura to question her ability to eat.

            “Ahhh,” Carmilla forced a smile. “No. I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.”

            “Is it not good? It’s okay, you can tell me. I won’t tell JP,” she smiled.

            Carmilla would have to tell JP later that the vegetables weren’t a good idea and to leave them out next time. Then again, if Laura got a closer look at that, a bowl full of a thick, dark red liquid would be just as suspicious.

            “It’s fine,” Carmilla sighed. “Just more different than I had expected. How about your soup? Do you like it?”

            “It’s wonderful,” Laura complimented. “Best tomato soup I’ve ever had. I didn’t know that you had a garden around here.”

            Carmilla didn’t visit the garden itself too often, it was a reminder of something she would never have again. It was a part of a human life, one that she would never know again. She wasn’t sure why JP still tended to it. This was the first time they had ever had any use for it.

            The fountain near the garden though… Carmilla froze. The garden was right across from the fountain.

            “Uhhh… yea, it’s somewhere around the castle. I don’t tend to it. JP and some others of my staff do that.”

            “You think I could see it sometime?” Laura asked the exact question that Carmilla was afraid she was going to ask.

            Carmilla locked eyes with her but didn’t see anything except genuine curiosity. She wanted to keep Laura away from the fountain as long as possible. If she saw it, there would be a lot of questions from her that Carmilla wasn’t ready to answer yet.

            Laura was a naturally intuitive girl, it wouldn’t take much for Laura to connect the dots and see Carmilla for what she really was. More than a beast…  A monster. Laura was barely coming to terms with her appearance now, for Laura to that there was more than that…

            “Maybe some time,” Carmilla answered hoping that Laura would drop it.

            Carmilla turned her attention back to the book that she had been reading before Laura entered the dining hall.

            Jack Kerouac. He was crazy, but there was something to his craziness that Carmilla found comforting. Kerouac was described as never seeming quite comfortable in this world, or his place in it, and that was something Carmilla could relate too.

            Reading was most of what she did these days. She didn’t like TV. It was still such a foreign conce It was a lot less imaginative than books. Books allowed you to form your own opinions and form your own world from the words of the author. TV was just a mindless form of entertainment with no thought necessary. It wasn’t like she could watch TV in her room anyways. She destroyed it the first time she saw it because Carmilla could see her reflection in it.

            The silence in the dining hall was slightly uncomfortable like there was something more that Laura wanted to ask. Carmilla could feel Laura’s eyes on her from the other side of the room. She wasn’t even reading the book anymore, she couldn’t focus on Jack Keroauc’s words with Laura’s eyes on her.

            “Something up cupcake?” Carmilla sighed as she put her book down.

            “Oh,” Laura said averting her eyes. “Uh, nothing. Just thinking.”

            Carmilla wouldn’t be able to focus on her reading now. She knew that something was on Laura’s mind.

            “Thinking about what?”

            Laura studied her for a moment before answering.

            “You weren’t always like this, were you? I mean, this castle wasn’t always like this? The people here… Were actual people?”

            “A long, long time ago,” Carmilla answered knowing where this was going.

            “If you don’t mind me asking,” Laura spoke slowly like she was trying not to hit a nerve with Carmilla. “What exactly happened? I mean, LaFontaine told me some of what happened, but I don’t exactly know your side…”

            Carmilla looked down at the long table.

            “You don’t have to answer right now,” Laura added quickly. “I’m just curious.”

            “I heard what LaFontaine told you,” Carmilla responded with a low voice. “And I guess I could explain it to you, but… It doesn’t exactly paint me in a good light.”

            “Okaayyy, well… If you don’t want to talk about it-“

            “No,” Carmilla surprised at her own voice. “I want to tell you.”

            Laura cocked her head to the side. Carmilla couldn’t believe that she felt comfortable talking to Laura about this already. The girl had hardly been here for a day.

            “Like LaFontaine told you,” she started. “This happened many, many years ago.”

            “Almost three hundred,” Laura spoke. It wasn’t a question.

            “I was the princess of Silas, next in line to take the throne. At first, I didn’t want to be queen, I didn’t want the throne. Mother- my stepmother- wanted me to be what she couldn’t though. She raised me after my father died. She groomed me and taught me everything I needed to know- everything she wanted me to know about being queen. A better part of her lessons taught me that showing emotions was weakness. When I didn’t agree with her lessons…”

            Carmilla felt her voice drift off and her eyes locked with the kitchen door.

            “She punished me until I stopped disagreeing with her. Eventually, she didn’t have to punish me anymore. I came into my own and wanted to be the queen. A lot of people believed that my brother, William, should take the throne rather than I. I didn’t like that. Mother didn’t like that. I took every opportunity I could to allude power and show people who doubted me that I had the strength and confidence to be the next ruler of Silas.

            “I didn’t realize at the time how selfish and callow I had become. I- I liked the power I had over people. I took care of anyone who didn’t think I had what it took. I learned how to manipulate people, take anything and everything I wanted from anyone. I thought I was enjoying the life I was living, but I was so empty.”

            She tore her eyes from the kitchen door and met Laura’s eyes. She expected to see pity or fear, but she instead Laura looked sympathetic and kept her eyes on Carmilla, not looking away.

            “Anyway,” she continued. “That’s probably more detail than you needed, but ultimately I made the decision to be hard and cruel towards the people in my kingdom. I saw everyone as less than me and they didn’t warrant any care from me or deserve wealth that I had. I was the complete opposite of what my father was. One day, I had a ball. It wasn’t for anything more than trying to get power from the neighboring kingdoms around me. Making deals, meeting people.

            “During the ball, I kicked out a peasant that disguised himself to get into my castle. He tried to tell me that people in my kingdom were dying of starvation because of my high taxes. I didn’t listen to him. I was only focused on my own wealth and power. Then a little while later, an old, poor woman stumbled into the castle with a single rose. She looked poor and frail, she smelled so bad like she had rolled with the pigs. She told asked me for shelter and food. I laughed in her face. Like, I actually laughed in her face. I was disgusted by her and the audacity she had to ask someone of my status for such help. I denied her even after all the chances she gave me to change my mind.

            “Then she turned from the old woman into this beautiful, glowing enchantress. After I realized who she was, I granted her what she wanted, but it was too late. She told me that I was heartless and that my outsides didn’t reflect what was in, so she made it so. I begged her for forgiveness, but it was useless. She made my appearance match my heartlessness. Then she told me that I-“

            Carmilla paused. She couldn’t tell Laura that part of the story. Even if Laura was the one to break the curse, which she wasn’t, she didn’t want Laura to know about it.

            “She told me that I would remain looking like this forever unless I broke the curse before the last petal on the rose fell. I expected the rose petals to fall rather quickly, but no. A part of the curse I guess is the torment of waiting for the last petal to drop. When it does, I’ll remain like this forever. For eternity until the end of time.”

            “Like… forever, forever?” Laura asked bewildered.

            “Yes,” Carmilla had to chuckle at her phrasing. “Forever, forever.”

            “No way,” Laura stated with determination. “There has to be a way to break the curse. We can find it. We can find the enchantress that changed you and ask her to change you back. We can do something, tell her that you’ve changed.”

            “It’s not that easy cupcake. I don’t know where the enchantress is and even if I did… I haven’t changed that much. No one can change that much.”

            “I believe you can,” Laura said softly. “I think you have.”

            Carmilla looked up at her in surprise. Laura couldn’t really believe that she could change. They had known each other for only a day. There was no way she could see any change in Carmilla during that time. Maybe she had been a little less angry, but it wasn’t a testament to any change.

            She shook her head softly. There was no way. She was still the same as when the enchantress first cursed her. Besides, the only way she could really change her appearance was to break the curse by falling in love with someone and them reciprocating those feelings. Carmilla couldn’t love someone like that and no one could love her as a beast.

            “Don’t do that,” Laura said to her. “I can see you shaking your head.”

            “Cupcake,” Carmilla locked eyes with her. “I know that you think so, but it’s much more complicated than you think.”

            “No, Carm, I don’t think it is.”

            Carmilla raised her eyebrows at Laura. She had never had anyone call her anything other than “Master” or “Your majesty” in years. Hardly anyone called her by her name, much less a nickname.

            “You think you have a coin on nicknames?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla laughed. No one had ever spoken to her like this before, but she didn’t mind it coming from Laura’s mouth. She thought it was so funny and cute the way she argued and spoke up for herself.

            “What’s so funny?” Laura asked with frustration.

            “That scrunched up face you make when you’re angry is hilarious, buttercup.”

            Laura seemed to be getting more frustrated.

            “It’s not funny,” Laura whined. “But if you seem to think so, I will be finishing my soup in front of the TV in my room.”

            “No, no,” Carmilla protested still laughing at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”

            “Sure Carm, I’m sure you didn’t.”

            Laura picked up her bowl in one hand and tucked the books she had underneath her arm in the other. She briskly started walking towards the exit.

            Carmilla quickly got up and super sped next to Laura. She reached out and softly grabbed Laura’s arm. They both stopped at the contact. Her arm was so soft and warm. Carmilla could hear her heartbeat pick up at little bit.

            She was a little shocked at her own boldness.

            “Please don’t go,” Carmilla pleaded giving her the best pout she could. “I was just messing with you. It’s so cute when you get all riled up.”

            Laura huffed and continued walking out the door.

            “You’re still mad?” Carmilla called out to her, unsure of Laura’s feelings. She really hadn’t meant to offend the girl and couldn’t tell if she was really mad or not.

            Laura stopped at the door and gave her a mischievous smile.

            “No, I’m not mad at you Carm,” Laura smirked. “Watching you get all soft and worried is absolutely adorable. I’m just a little tired right now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

            She left Carmilla with her jaw dropping to the floor. This girl was surely going to be the death of her.

Annnddd here's some fic art!

Chapter Text

            Laura woke up the sun shining through the window. She had forgotten to shut it last night.

            Last night… When she had her first dinner with Carmilla. She was slowly learning that Carmilla wasn’t all that she seemed. There was something there that Laura couldn’t put on pin on. It must’ve been years since Carmilla had interacted with another human being- at least one that wasn’t turned into some sort of household item. It must be a very lonely existence.

            She turned over and looked at the clock, it was almost eight am. She closed her eyes hoping that she could fall back asleep, but her thoughts kept drifting off to the other woman that slept in the other wing.

            It was tragic, how Carmilla had ended up this way. She could relate to losing a parent, but she was lucky that her father had been there for her. Carmilla had mentioned losing her father, but she hadn’t mentioned her mother at all. Obviously, that was story that Carmilla didn’t want to get into.

            Carmilla had lost both her biological parents. She didn’t go into the details about her father’s death either. Laura couldn’t help but wonder what the story was there too. That was something that she would have to put on the back burner for later. She knew that Carmilla wouldn’t talk about it unless she wanted to share it with her and pushing Carmilla for answers certainly wasn’t a good idea.

            Laura couldn’t imagine what she would’ve done if she had lost her father too. She could’ve ended up just like Carmilla if her father had turned dark and lost after her mother’s death. There had to more stories about her stepmother. Carmilla didn’t talk about her like she had died. She also didn’t talk about her like she was around either.

            Her thoughts were running through her mind too much to get more sleep now.

            She pulled herself out of bed and looked out the window. The sun was rising above the mountains. It was a beautiful sight. She couldn’t help but marvel at it. Even though the castle was falling apart at its foundation, it was still quite an amazing piece of architecture.

            Elise was snoring rather loudly in the corner of the bedroom. She studied her and wondered what she looked like before the curse turned her into a wardrobe. She wondered what all of the people looked like before the curse had taken them… what Carmilla had looked like before she was turned into a beast.

            No doubt that her eyes were beautiful when they weren’t turned red. She must’ve been really beautiful before the curse. Laura had tried to find any portraits of her, but anything that resembled Carmilla had been torn to shreds. She couldn’t blame her either. Being here for centuries without any hope of breaking the curse and returning to what she used to be, must have been torture for her. Laura guessed that any portrait of her just reminded her of that.

            That was one thing that Laura didn’t understand. Everyone in the castle talked about breaking the curse, but no one had actually told her how they could break it. It was like, no matter how much she wanted to help them, they were holding back this giant secret about breaking the curse. That it may involve someone like her…

            Laura shook her head at the thought. If it did involve her, they would probably tell her, right? After all, she told the staff many times that she wanted to help. She would do whatever she could as long as it didn’t involve like some ritual sacrifice or something.

            She shuffled over to the dresser, putting on some athletic clothing. She wanted to start doing her morning yoga again. Not only was it good for her mental health, it would keep her in shape and work off all the fancy food JP was serving her.

            Her routine was only about thirty minutes long since it was only a wakeup routine. She had longer and more strenuous sets for later in the day if she ever felt like doing them. They really relaxed her and it felt like her normal routine.

            It was almost nine o’clock once she finished her yoga. Carmilla was probably still sleeping, so Laura decided this was a good time to go for a walk outside and explore the castle grounds. She grabbed a jacket from the closet when she noticed that there was something different in her room.

            On the coffee table in front of the TV were some books and a laptop. She walked over to inspect it.

            It was her school books along with her notes. When she opened the laptop, she could see emails from her teachers. They had replied to an email about taking some time off due to her father’s health. An email she had never sent.

            This was another chance to let someone know where she was. She quickly opened up the email and started writing an email to the police.

            However, she couldn’t bring herself to send it. Her finger hovered over the send button. This was it. She could bring the police here and escape… But in her heart was telling her not too. Carmilla was almost all alone out here, it was no wonder that she wanted some company out here. But this was kidnapping… Her mind was telling her to be sensible and send it.

            Carmilla who had kidnapped her but had given her more smiles and sarcastic comments in the last twenty-four hours than she had ever expected. Carmilla who had saved her life from the wolves, almost losing her own.

            No. Perhaps she could explain it to the police so that Carmilla would be able to get off easier than normal. She hit the send button.

            The laptop beeped at her, telling her that she wasn’t connected to the internet and it couldn’t send the message. Of course, there was no internet out here, but then how did she get the emails in the first place?

            Laura closed the laptop in frustration.

            “Everything alright darling?” she heard Elise behind her.

            She whirled around to face the wardrobe as it moved closer to her.

            “Are those your school books?” Elise asked.

            “I guess so,” Laura replied running her hand through her hair. “I have no idea how they got here.”

            “The castle,” Elise answered. “It must have brought them here. I guess that it wants you to keep up with your studies while you’re here.”

            “Keep up with my studies?” She asked skeptically.

            “Yes. We learned a long time ago that the castle is just alive as we are, but it has a lot more magic than we thought. It brings us things and it can also take things from us. We’re not sure how or why, but it always does.”

            Laura turned back to her books and laptop. This was impossible. Before two days ago, she didn’t believe in magic. But now, it was almost impossible to deny. Although, perhaps someone could have gone to her place or her classes and grabbed her things… On the other hand, she knew that no one left the castle except Carmilla. But she would never leave the castle to do something like this for her. She wouldn’t risk going out in public and exposing herself. The only other explanation was magic. Just as the only explanation for the staff being common antiques was magic.

            “I guess it does,” Laura said under her breath.

            Elise had fallen back asleep as Laura heard her snoring again from the middle of the room.

            Laura got up from the couch and put on a pair of jeans and cozy sweater with some snow boots. There was always snow on the ground here. Just another thing that must have been caused by magic. She grabbed a book on the way, thinking that she could find a nice place to read if she got bored with exploring the grounds.

            The castle was oddly quiet as she walked through it. Laura was used to hearing people bustling about, but they all were probably still sleeping. She couldn’t imagine how bored they all got around here.

            Even though the air outside was warm, there was still a lot of snow on the ground. She remembered that JP mentioned something about a garden. She was curious how they were able to grow plants in this kind of weather.

            The castle grounds were all lined with rose bushes. Her mother probably would have loved it here.

            This all started with a rose. First it was Carmilla’s cruelty and harshness with the enchantress and then it was her father trying to get a rose from one of the bushes here for her. Such a small, insignificant plant that gave such meaning to one person. It was no wonder Carmilla had blown up over the situation. Of course, that didn’t make it okay, but at least it was understandable. Everything around here had to have an explanation.

            Laura wandered through the rows of rose bushes looking for the garden that JP had mentioned when she finally came across it, but it wasn’t at all like had imagined. It was very large greenhouse on the west side of the castle. Next to it was a frozen lake. It couldn’t be… It couldn’t be the very same lake that Laura had gone to as a child.

            There was a small dock on the lake, but no sign of any boat.

            She walked onto the dock and looked out over the ice. It seemed to stretch on for miles and Laura couldn’t see the end of it. It couldn’t have been the same lake because when she was a child, she saw something on the other side of the lake. This lake was far to vast, but as far as she knew, there was only one lake in Silas.

            Then again, as far as she knew there wasn’t a large castle in the middle of the Silas forest.

            She shook her head and headed back towards the greenhouse.

            It was very large and probably had all kinds of vegetables and fruit growing inside of it, but as she walked forward something else caught her eye.

            Across from the greenhouse and past some rose bushes was a large fountain. She could hear the water running which was unusual because anything else with water she had seen was completely frozen. Maybe she was just hearing things, so she had to investigate it.

            As she walked around the rose bushes, she had no doubt that it was running fountain. The sound of rush water was getting clearer as she approached it.

             She turned the corner and saw the massive fountain but stopped at the sight of it. It wasn’t water that was running through it. The liquid spouting out of the fountain was thick and red, not like water at all. It was definitely something else, something more sinister than water. She couldn’t believe her own eyes and had to get closer to make sure it wasn’t a trick of light.

            The ground around the fountain was spattered with it. The bold redness of the liquid, clear against the pale, white ground.

            Laura slowly walked towards it until she was only about a foot away from the fountain’s edge and saw that there was something written on the side, slightly covered in the liquid. She took the side of sweater and wiped it away to see the writing.

            Here pours the blood of those dying for the love of others

            Blood? This was blood? There was no way that this could be blood. Where was it all coming from? And dying for love? What the hell did that mean? It had to be some sort of trick. It couldn’t really be blood.

            “You shouldn’t be here,” she heard a familiar voice say.

            Laura quickly turned around to see Carmilla standing behind her. She was wearing a long black coat and thick black sunglasses on her face. She didn’t sound angry though like she had when Laura discovered the rose encased in glass.

            Her tone was low and even, but there was a sense of fear and concern in it. It was like she was trying to hide a shakiness in her voice.

            “W-Wh-What is this?” Laura asked walking towards Carmilla.

            Carmilla just stood there like a stone statue. She didn’t move or say anything to Laura as Laura stopped in front of her. Scary enough, she could have been a stone statue. Her movements were completely ceased, not even a lift of the chest for air.

            “Why is this here? Is some sort of trick? Something that enchantress put here as some sort of reminder for you?”

            Carmilla walked past her without a word, approaching the fountain and stared at it. It had to be some sort of reminder for her. Maybe this was the blood of the people that had died of starvation in Carmilla’s kingdom all those years ago.

            Laura knew that she should want to run, but she also wanted answers and running didn’t do her any good last time. She didn’t want to end up in that situation again, nor did actually feel the need to run this time. Carmilla wasn’t yelling or roaring at her. She wasn’t even fighting her own flight instincts.

            “Carmilla,” Laura said sternly and authoritatively. “Answer me.”

            The woman still had her back to her, not looking at Laura and standing like a statue again. Her head was down, and her shoulders were hunched over, like it was something she was ashamed of. Obviously, it was something she didn’t want to tell Laura about.

            “It’s much more than that,” Carmilla finally replied. “I can’t live without it.”

            Laura didn’t understand what that meant. That was blood in the fountain. If it was much more of a reminder and she couldn’t live without, than what was it?

            Then it clicked in her head. JP had once mentioned that he never actually cooked for Carmilla. That Laura was the only he had cooked for in centuries. Laura had joked about Carmilla eating raw meat and it had made the whole room quiet for a moment. Then there was the fact that Carmilla look disgusted at the soup that JP had made her for their dinner. There were also some empty glasses in Carmilla’s room with the residue of a dark liquid. Laura had just thought that it was wine.

            That’s when she felt like running, but her feet stayed planted in the ground. She couldn’t bring her feet to move. Besides, even if she did run, Carmilla could catch her in a flash. She had seen the woman move before. There were moments where she caught Carmilla moving unnaturally fast and then there was the fact that she could transform in a very large panther.

            Laura thought about it though. If Carmilla wanted to hurt her, she could have done it a long time ago.

            Carmilla still had her back to Laura, frozen as a statue just staring at the fountain.

            “You drink it,” Laura said. It wasn’t a question.

            Carmilla still hadn’t moved.

            “You drink it, right?” Laura asked this time.

            She wanted to hear the answer from Carmilla’s mouth. She wanted her to deny it and say that it was ridiculous because there was no one that drank blood to survive. She wanted to hear another explanation about the fountain, that it was some cruel sign the enchantress had placed there to torment Carmilla further.

            After what seemed like a lifetime of silence, Carmilla finally turned and faced Laura. Her expression was unreadable through her thick sunglasses.

            “Laura… It’s… It’s not something I’m proud of,” Carmilla said in a worried voice. “I-I can’t explain why, but… yes. I do… drink it to survive.”

            Laura knew that she should’ve been scared, but at the moment it sounded like Carmilla was more scared than she was.

            “Is it really blood?” Laura asked.

            There had to be another explanation. It had to be some sort of other sustenance that only looked like blood as a reminder to her.

            “Unfortunately, it really is… blood,” Carmilla answered.

            “How-How do you know?”

            Carmilla’s lip pursed like she was trying to figure out what to say next. Laura wished that she could see Carmilla’s eyes and read her expression. It was killing her that she couldn’t try to figure out what Carmilla was thinking.

            “Can we talk about this inside,” Carmilla asked calmly. “I would understand if you didn’t want to, but I think that this would better face-to-face.”

            “We are talking face-to-face right now,” Laura stated matter-of-factly. “If you could just take off your sunglasses, that would be better.”

            Carmilla shook her head.

            “You see… The sun hurts my eyes, so I’d rather talk about this inside.”

            “The sun hurts your eyes?” Laura felt like she was starting to connect all the dots, but she wanted to hear it from Carmilla herself rather than jump to any conclusions. This wasn’t some sort of fictional novel or movie that Laura was living. This was real life and it couldn’t be what she thought it was.

            Carmilla nodded.

            “Fine,” Laura stated. Her voice was a lot steadier than she had expected it to be. Everything in her mind was telling her to run and get as far away from Carmilla as she could. But there was something in Carmilla’s voice that Laura couldn’t place. It was like she was worried about Laura’s opinion of her.

            That couldn’t be it though. Carmilla could care less about what Laura thought about her. She had locked her up here, that was enough for Laura to hate her for the rest of her life. She shouldn’t care if Laura was scared of her or hated her because of this now.

            Carmilla walked past Laura, putting a wide berth around here like she was afraid of getting too close to her. There was no way that was the case though, Carmilla wasn’t afraid of anything as far as Laura knew, least of all her.

            Laura followed Carmilla through one of the side doors that led into the kitchen.

            “Master,” she heard JP call. “I have your breakfast ready for you when you need it. I wasn’t sure if Laura was joining you so I had a bowl made for you if-“

            JP stopped as soon as he saw Laura follow Carmilla through the door.

            “Oh, Laura,” JP said surprised. “I-I-… Uhhh…”

            Carmilla waved her hand at him as she walked through the kitchen and he immediately stopped talking. He turned away from the two of them and went back to cooking whatever he was cooking for Laura’s breakfast.

            They made their way through the dining hall where Perry and a few other feather dusters were cleaning.

            “Your majesty, Laura, how lovely to see you this morning,” Perry greeted them.

            Carmilla took her sunglasses off and gave Perry some sort of look that caused her to turn away and continue cleaning, ignoring them completely now.

            Laura wished that she could see Carmilla’s face right now.

            They walked through the main entrance through the long hallways, entering one of the smaller side rooms in the castle. It wasn’t small by any means, but it was smaller than the rooms Laura was used to in the castle.

            In one corner of the rooms, there was a large piano. Next to it was a large, long table with a multitude of instruments on it; a trumpet, a clarinet, a bass guitar, an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar.

            Laura wondered if Carmilla could play all these instruments.

            Along one of the walls was a large window with curtains, a small chess table in front of it with two chairs pushed in. A large bookcase sat on the other side with what Laura guessed were more instruments and music sheet books. Not all of the instruments looked familiar to her.

            Lastly, there was a plush couch next to the piano. It was so dusty and looked like no had sat in it for hundreds of years.

            “My father used to sit there and listen to me play the piano when I was child,” Carmilla spoke softly. Her back was still turned towards Laura. “He would just smile and listen to me play as he read a book. If I played a wrong note, he would just peak up from his book and give me a small laugh.”

            Laura felt bad for the woman. This must have been one of her favorite places as a child, now it was just a sad memory for her.

            “I used to often come in here and play some music,” she continued. “If I closed my eyes while I play, I can still see his face. It’s not as clear as it used to be, but it still calms me.”

            Carmilla lightly ran her fingers over the piano like she was afraid to actually touch it and play a note.

            “Carm…” Laura said concerned.

            This is not what she wanted to talk about, but she couldn’t stop her. Carmilla could have said anything, but this is what she chose as a segway to whatever was going on.

            “The day he died,” Carmilla choked out. “Was the worst day of my life. I felt like he was the only one who truly loved me and truly understood me.”

            Laura wanted to reach out and comfort the woman, but then she had to remember why she was here in the first place. She wanted to hear the other woman’s answer to everything. The fountain. The blood.

            Carmilla turned to face Laura, the corner of her eyes were very red, like she had been crying, but there were no tears.

            “He would be so disappointed in me if he saw what I have become,” she said. “I’m so ashamed of myself and I would understand if you went to your room and never wanted to see me again.”

            “I just want some answers,” Laura said lowly.

            Carmilla looked into her eyes for a moment and then tore them away, looking at the ground. She moved too seat herself on the piano bench. Laura didn’t move from the middle of the room.

            “What do you want me to say Laura? That I drink blood? That I need it to survive? Because if that’s not what you want to hear, then I’m sorry. I can’t give you the answers you want. I’m a monster.”

            Laura planted her feet in the ground, ignoring the feeling of wanting to sit down next to Carmilla and hold her.

            “So, you’re a vampire?” Laura asked pointedly.

            “If you want to label it that way, then yes I guess,” Carmilla said still looking at the ground. “The day the enchantress turned me into a beast, I felt like there was fire in the throat. I felt thirsty and hungry at the same time. My senses, mostly my smell, led me to the fountain. I couldn’t believe what it was at first, but my body was craving it more than anything. I couldn’t help myself, one moment I was staring at it, disgusted with myself, the next it was all over my hands and I was drinking from it.”

            “How can you be sure that it’s blood?”
            “Remember when Perry mentioned that I’ve been out in town a few times before?”
            Laura nodded.

            “I went to go look for someone that I thought was my friend, someone that could help break the curse. I could smell everything in town. I could hear everything. I heard every single person’s heartbeat and the blood that runs through them like I can hear yours now.”

            Laura was suddenly very conscious of how fast her heart was beating right now. She couldn’t help it. She wasn’t scared, more nervous.

            “I could hear my friend’s voice, Elle,” Carmilla continued. “When I found her, she didn’t know who I was. She was completely repulsed at my appearance and I could smell the fear on her when I tried to explain myself.

            “She started screaming for help, but I kept trying to explain. I knew I should’ve gotten out of there, but I didn’t. Three men came over to see what the commotion was about. They held up torches and pitchforks like an angry mob. They were confused until they saw what I looked like. That’s when they tried to attack me. At first, I was able to dodge their attacks. Then one of the hit their head on the wall, blood spilling out from it. I lost my mind. I sank my teeth into his neck, the other men tried to stab me with pitchforks, but the metal just broke off like they had run it into a steel wall.

            “I finally realized what I was doing when I saw Elle’s face. I immediately unlatched myself from the man. He slumped to the ground, his heart was barely beating. I hadn’t killed him, but I almost did. That’s when I got my bearings together and fled. I’m not sure what happened to him or Elle, but I got out of there.

            “I revisited town the next few days to check on him and luckily, he made a full recovery. But it was like they didn’t remember what had happened. I learned to control myself after that, going into town every so often and curbing my urges. Eventually, it got boring. I stopped going into town. I wasn’t sure if it was because I believed that I had it under control or if I thought that it was no use because I knew that no one would ever want to be around me. Also, it was torture hiding myself in the shadows, never interacting with another human being.”

            Carmilla didn’t meet Laura’s eyes as she talked.

            “At first, I tried to fight it, not drink any blood from the fountain… But that was worse than I thought it would be. I starved myself for almost two weeks. I was in unimaginable pain by the end of it, a part of me was hoping that I was going to die, but death never came. It was like there was a huge furnace burning in my throat, every bone in my body felt like it was breaking, and I couldn’t move without pain. Eventually I lost myself, I didn’t know who I was or where I was. I blacked out. When I woke up, I was leaning over the fountain, blood dripping everywhere on my body like I had taken a bath in the fountain.

            “JP and Kirsch found me, approaching me carefully and asking if I knew who I was. I was so confused. I told them that I was fine. Then Will explained what happened to me. I tore through the castle, smashed a few things until I got the fountain. He was so scared when he talked about it, I was glad that no human being was around. I couldn’t imagine what I would’ve done to them. I never wanted to feel that out of control again.

            “I never wanted to be like this. I didn’t know that anyone or anything could be as monstrous as me.”

            Laura took in every word Carmilla said. She was completely bewildered by the woman in front of her. Carmilla had no choice in the situation that she was in and she seemed so… sad. Hopeless.

            Carmilla could’ve hurt her at any time she was here, but she hadn’t.

            “I don’t want to hurt anyone Laura,” Carmilla stated. “Least of all you.”

            Laura didn’t know how to respond to everything. It was all so complicated. On the one hand, Carmilla was a blood-sucking vampire. On the other hand, Laura could see the girl underneath the beast. That girl was full of sadness and hurt. She didn’t choose this life, it was just thrown at her.

            Laura let out a deep breath and approached the piano bench, Carmilla still didn’t look up at her.

            “I can’t even begin to understand what you’ve been through,” Laura spoke as she took a seat next to Carmilla. “But you could’ve hurt me any time you wanted while you’ve been here. You haven’t. Even when you were at your scariest, you didn’t hurt me.”

            “I would never hurt you Laura. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

            Laura reached up and pulled Carmilla’s chin up to meet her eyes.

            “You’re not a beast Carmilla, you’re not a monster,” Laura said truthfully. “I’ve seen you almost lose your life to save me.”

            “And you don’t know how much I could’ve hurt you after that,” Carmilla said angrily.

            She stood up, leaving Laura’s touch. She started pacing around the room.

            “I was so hungry after the wolves’ bit into me. You don’t understand.”

            “Drinking blood healed you, didn’t it? Is that why your injuries healed so quickly?”

            Carmilla nodded.

            “JP and Kirsch brought me a few glasses. They all know everything. JP tried to give me something last night that looked like normal food. He threw in some raw meat in a bowl with blood, but I couldn’t eat it. Food just tastes like rotten milk to me and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to taste it again.”

            “I’m not scared of you Carmilla,” Laura stated.

            “You’re not?” Carmilla asked with surprise.

            “I know that any normal human should be, but I don’t know… It’s just that I’ve seen a lot more kindness and heart in you in the last two days than I’ve seen in anyone that I know.”

            “Heart,” Carmilla chuckled. “I don’t have heart Laura. Mine stopped beating the day that the enchantress turned me into this beast.”

            “You don’t have a heartbeat?”

            “Nope.”

            Laura stood up and closed the distance between them. She slowly brought her hand up to Carmilla’s chest. She hesitated for moment, seeing if Carmilla was going to back away or swat her hand away. When she didn’t, Laura placed her hand on Carmilla’s chest. There was no movement in her chest. No beating heart.

            She looked up at Carmilla’s face. She was staring at her. Carmilla’s face had a multitude of expressions; surprise, awe, shock.

            “And you can hear mine?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla nodded not leaving Laura’s eyes.

            “I can hear how fast it’s beating right now,” Carmilla said barely a whisper.

            Laura took her other hand and softly placed her hand on Carmilla’s cheek, running it across her jaw.

            Everything she thought she knew about this woman had completely changed since the first time she had met her. She was sure that she could never understand what this woman had been through. She felt for her.

            Carmilla’s demeanor changed. Her eyes scrunched together, and her eyes fell to the ground. Shaking her head as she back away from Laura, leaving Laura’s hands in the air. Laura wasn’t sure what else to but put her hands back down to her sides.

             Laura looked around the room, not sure what to say. She needed a minute for it all to sink in. It wasn’t that couldn’t accept for Carmilla what she was, it was just a lot to take in for the morning. God, it was still early in the morning.

            “Can you play all these instruments?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla looked up at her and laughed.

            “What?” Laura asked.

            “Nothing,” Carmilla replied. “You just continue to amaze me.”

            They stared at each other for a moment. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was actually like Laura was seeing her for the first time. She was really beginning to understand Carmilla and the pain that she had been through. There was more to her than her appearance and she knew that there was a lot more to Carmilla’s backstory. Laura wanted to know more about her but knew that she had just shared more than Carmilla had probably expected. She didn’t want to push her.

             “Yes cupcake,” Carmilla finally said. “I can play almost all the instruments in here. After a few centuries of boredom, you learn different ways to entertain yourself. My father originally taught me how to play the piano, but I taught myself everything else.”

            “You think you could play me something?”

            Carmilla’s eyes lit up.

            “Sure can, cutie,” Carmilla said with a smile. “What do you want to hear?”

            “Anything.”

            Carmilla smiled wide, her fangs popping out from the top of her mouth. Even with her fangs, she had a really beautiful smile. Laura could only imagine how beautiful her smile was without the fangs and the black veins around her eyes.

            Carmilla made her way around Laura and to the piano. She sat down carefully and placed her hands on the piano keys. There was a pause like Carmilla was composing herself.

            Then music started coming out of the piano. It was so fluid and beautiful.

            The song played throughout the room, echoing against the walls. It was such a beautiful song, but it had a somber tone to it. Whatever Carmilla was playing seemed to be reflecting Laura’s emotions or maybe it was reflecting Carmilla’s emotions.

            There was some conflict with the notes playing against each other, but they flowed beautifully together.

            Laura moved closer to the piano like it was calling to her. She sat down on the bench next to Carmilla.

            Carmilla’s eyes were closed, she was playing from memory. Laura watched in awe as she hands moved across the keys. There was no pause in the movement of her fingers. They just flew across the keys fluidly and gracefully until she heard the notes start to slow down and then stop.

            Carmilla opened her eyes and looked at Laura with anticipation.

            “That was…” Laura was trying to find the right words to describe what she thought. “Incredible doesn’t even describe it.”

            “I wasn’t sure how it was,” Carmilla said unsure. “It’s been awhile since I played, and it took some time to adjust to having these claws rather than fingernails.”

            “I thought it sounded perfect. Could you show me how to play?”

            Carmilla reached over, hesitating to put her hands-on top of Laura’s. She seemed to very aware of the claws that were on her fingers.

            Laura reached over and grabbed Carmilla’s hands for her. She wanted to show Carmilla that her claws didn’t bother her. She knew that they could easily rip into her flesh, but Carmilla’s touch was soft and slow. Carmilla moved so carefully as to not hurt her.

            Carmilla took Laura’s hands across the keys, showing her what keys to push and how she flowed to make it easier to play.

            They sat there for a while as Carmilla and Laura smiled and laughed at Laura’s inability to play the piano, but Carmilla didn’t give up. She kept encouraging Laura and showing her the correct the keys.

            Finally, Laura felt like she had the gist of it. Carmilla removed her hands from Laura’s. Despite how cold her hands were, Laura missed the warmth. Carmilla may have looked hard and cold on the outside, but the way she touched her was the complete opposite.

            Laura composed herself and then started running her hands across the few notes that Carmilla had taught her. When she missed one of the notes, Carmilla just chuckled.

            “It takes some time and a lot of practice, cupcake. No need to get frustrated right now. I still have trouble playing sometimes.”

            Laura smiled at her and then reset her hands, trying again. She messed on the same note and she got frustrated with herself. Carmilla had just showed her how to do this and if she could play like she could, then surely Laura could get a few notes right.

            “You’re doing that face again cutie,” Carmilla laughed.

            Laura gave Carmilla a pointed look as she reset her hands for the third time.

            “Just relax,” Carmilla said softly.

            Laura took a death breath and then tried the notes again. As she played the notes, she felt like time stood still for a moment until she finished the last note.

            “Hey, I got it!” Laura yelled with excitement.

            “You sure did. Good job cupcake,” Carmilla smiled at her.

            Laura looked up at Carmilla and saw a beautiful smile. Her eyes were shining brightly at Laura. Laura noticed that her eyes weren’t just brown, but they had small flecks on gold in them. They were truly beautiful eyes. They were so human and full of… hope? It was the first time Laura had ever seen that in Carmilla’s eyes.

            Maybe being here with Carmilla wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Chapter Text

            Carmilla didn’t intend to spend the morning explaining her diet of blood to Laura. She thought she would have more time to think about how to approach the subject before Laura discovered it, but the result of their conversation had surprised her. It had gone better than she could have ever thought.

            She remained wary about it though. It couldn’t have been easy for Laura to hear it all. She had finally figured out who she was really living with… a blood sucking beast. A vampire, in Laura’s words. There really wasn’t a better word for what she was. It fit her except that she didn’t sun didn’t burn her up, she wasn’t afraid of crosses and garlic had no effect on her.

            LaFontaine had tested those theories after their reality had sunk in. That took a few years to happen. Carmilla wasn’t particularly fun to be around during the first few years after they were cursed. She had refused to be seen for years, no matter how hard they tried.

            She had been so ashamed, depressed and angry about it all. Those feelings didn’t change after a few years, she just had accepted that it was going to be her life. Her staff did their best to leave her alone, but they always came around to see her every once in a while.

            Thinking about it now, she was grateful for that. They all had been fairly persistent about trying to see her, talk to her. If they hadn’t tried, Carmilla could only imagine what she would’ve turned out to be. She could’ve been- would’ve been- a lot worse. Not just for herself, but for the people around her.

            For the first time in a long time, she was feeling something different. She couldn’t describe it, but she felt happy and relaxed with Laura around. Even though the girl could be annoyingly stubborn and hard-headed, it was a refreshing change.

            Laura saw the best in her, even with everything that Carmilla had talked about and done. She still believed that there was hope for her. Carmilla was almost starting to believe it herself, until she really dived into thought about it.

            There was no hope for her. As much as she wanted to end the curse for her and her staff, there was no way that was going to happen. Even though LaFontaine and Will kept trying to tell her that Laura was the one, the one to help break the curse, she could never believe that someone like Laura would ever fall in love with her.

            Laura was ray of sunshine in this dark world. She believed the best of people and saw the beauty in the world that no one else could see. She was so different from anyone else. She was beautiful like an angel and where ever she went, there was hope. She was so wide-eyed about the world, diving her head into books and talking about wanting to explore the world.

            There was something so innocent about all of it.

            Carmilla had left Laura do to some more exploring, there was nothing left in the castle that Carmilla wanted to hide from her.

            Laura had asked Carmilla if she was going to see her again with which Carmilla replied, “I wouldn’t miss it cupcake.”.

            After all of that, Laura still wanted to eat dinner with her. Well, Laura would be eating. It was probably best if Carmilla had JP bring her “dinner” later after Laura finished and went to bed. Laura knew about her blood diet, but she didn’t want to just drink it in front of her. She was still unsure how Laura felt about it and didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

            She would never hurt Laura and she hoped that she made that clear with her, but Laura barely knew her. Carmilla had felt that these past two days were more like two years and that was saying a lot since Carmilla had lived for a long time.

            She felt like she had learned so much about Laura that she had known her for much longer than just two days.

            There was a knock at the doors.

            “Carmilla,” she heard Will as the door opened. “You in here?”

            “Yes, Will,” she responded. “What do you want?”

            Will walked over to her on his tiny clock legs. She couldn’t believe that he was a clock when they all woke up after the day the enchantress turned him. Sometimes, she felt like he was the lucky one. He wasn’t a hideous monster like she was. She wasn’t going to lie, she had hoped that she wasn’t the only one like this, but then again, he didn’t deserve this. She did.

            “I heard from JP… That Laura discovered the fountain outside. I just wanted to come in and see if you were okay.”

            His voice was quiet and small like he was scared that Carmilla was going to roar at him or something. Maybe if it had gone the other way, she would be feeling like doing that right now.

            “It’s fine,” Carmilla sighed. “It went better than expected.”

            “I know that you probably want to tear someone’s head off right now-. Wait, what?”

            “It went better than expected,” Carmilla repeated.

            “Like… she didn’t try to run away, but was still scared?” Will asked curiously.

            Will struggled up onto the coffee table across from the lounge chair where Carmilla was seated.

            “No, not all. She took it surprisingly well.”

            “Well, she is different, you know?”

            Carmilla smirked. He didn’t know how different she really was in her eyes. Carmilla wanted to believe that Laura had taken it as well as she acted too. She wanted to believe that Laura could accept her as she was, but it could’ve all been an act. It could’ve been an act just to protect herself from Carmilla’s anger or sadness. Both came hand-in-hand with her behavior. If she was sad, she normally acted out with anger.

            “She really is,” Carmilla said under her breath. “I’m not sure if it was all just an act or if was real though.”

            “Do you really think it was an act?”

            Carmilla ran her hand through her hair.

            “I don’t know Will. She was so gentle and kind about it all. She said that she wasn’t scared, and she listened to every word I said. Even after I explained it all, she didn’t have any fear in her eyes. She didn’t jump or flinch at my touch. In fact, I really tried to give her some space while we were talking, but she… she actually came up to me and touched me. She felt my chest when I told her that I have no heartbeat and she touched my face…”

            Carmilla had been so close to her in that moment. If she did have a heartbeat, it would’ve been moving as fast as Laura’s was. The sweet music of her heartbeat. Hearing her heartbeat didn’t give Carmilla any desire to drink her blood. The sound made her want to protect it, to keep that sweet sound in the world, to never hear it stop.

            She could remember her face so clearly in that moment. Her beautiful brown eyes looking up at her, sparkling in the sunlight from the window. Her skin looked so soft her lips… Her lips were parted as she traced her finger along her jaw, looking so pink and soft.

            “Doesn’t sound like it could’ve been an act dear sister,” Will said softly.

            “If it was, she’s an awfully good actor.”

            “You know that I’ve really tried to do everything that I can for you these past few centuries, but I’ve never seen you look so… content when you’re with her. She could be the one, Carmilla.”

            Carmilla growled.

            “There’s no way. She may be kind and gentle towards me, but she could never love me. No one could ever. You haven’t seen the way that people look at me. They’re repulsed and disgusted. No one could ever love a beast like me.”

            “But no one has gotten to know you before,” Will protested. “No one sees you for you truly are.”

            “But they do,” Carmilla growled at him. “I reflect what I am on the inside. You didn’t hear what the enchantress said. My appearance reflects who I am on the inside. People don’t change.”

            “You don’t really believe that do you?”

            Carmilla hung her head. No, she didn’t. People could change, but it was herself that she believed could never change.

            “I don’t know what I believe anymore,” Carmilla responded and threw her hands up.

            “Why? Because of Laura?”

            Yes, Laura. The girl that radiated hope wherever she went because she believed in the good in the world. The girl that saw the good inside of her. The girl that didn’t turn and run in fear when she saw about the deepest, darkest part of her.

            Speaking of Laura- Carmilla checked the clock- JP would have dinner ready soon.

            “I have to get ready for dinner,” Carmilla said ignoring his question.

            Carmilla really didn’t want to get into her confused, mixed feelings about Laura’s effect on her. Even she barely understood how Laura could have such an effect on her.

            Will was visibly frustrated with her but seemed to let it go.

            “Since when do you have to get ready for dinner?”

            “Since we’ve had a guest joining me.”

            “Ahhh, so Laura is joining you for dinner and who’s idea was that?”

            “Laura’s,” Carmilla growled at him because she knew that he was trying to make a point with her. “She asked me if she would see me at dinner earlier today.”

            Will smirked like he was triumphant for some reason.

            “Does that seem like someone who is acting?”

            Carmilla shoved him off the table and he clattered to the ground.

            “Shut up and get out of here Will.”

            “Well that was rude,” he replied brushing himself off and heading towards the door. “But seriously, sis, she- this doesn’t look like an act to me. Even I’ve seen her act differently around the castle today. I think that she just wants to get to know you now.”

            Will was out the door before Carmilla could think of a response.

            Of course Laura was curious about her, but it probably had more to do with her genuine curiosity about how she came to be this way rather than curiosity about Carmilla herself. Why would Laura want to get to know her?

            Carmilla got up from the chair and decided to change her clothes. She had put on this outfit to go outside with. The sun wasn’t completely unbearable for her. It just hurt her eyes to look at it felt like there were a million ants crawling on her skin when the light touched it. It was rather uncomfortable.

             It reminded Carmilla of the uncomfortable feeling of being locked underneath the kitchen floor… A feeling that no matter how much time passed, it would never leave her memory…

            Carmilla straightened her shirt collar. She had decided on the plain white collared shirt with a navy suede blazer, black skinny jeans and her black suede oxford shoes. Just because she had had the appearance of the beast, didn’t mean that she had to dress like one.

            She had been looking forward to seeing Laura for dinner again. To see her beautiful smile, the way her eyes lit up as she rambled on about something. There was surely something that she would start asking about after exploring the castle.

            A smile formed on Carmilla’s face as she walked down to the dining hall.

            She softly opened the doors to the dining hall to find Laura already seated in the seat across the table engrossed in one of the books on the table. Laura hadn’t noticed that Carmilla walked into the room.

            “Enjoying the book cutie?” Carmilla smirked, walking to her seat.

            Laura looked up from her book, startled.

            “Carm,” she smiled excitedly. “I was reading about the city of Dublin. You know? The city in Ireland. It sounds like a beautiful city.”

            “It is,” Carmilla smiled at her.

            “You’ve been?” Laura asked brightly.

            “Once, a long time ago. It’s probably changed a lot since then, but when I went the waterways and the greenery were something to be marveled at.”

            “Where else have you been?”

            “Uhhh…” Carmilla scrunched her eyebrows. It had been centuries since Carmilla had been anywhere other than her castle and Silas. She had traveled a lot with her father and stepmother, negotiating with other kings and queens across the ocean.

            “Dinner is served,” JP interrupted their conversation. “I have created a delightful seafood stuffed salmon filet with a fresh, summer salad on the side. I so wish that I could taste my own food, but I have no doubt that it is anything less than perfect.”

            “That sounds wonderful JP,” Laura smiled as JP placed the plate of food in front of her.

            “And for later, if you would like some dessert, I made some sweet creampuffs at the request of her majesty.”

            “Creampuffs? I thought you didn’t eat food?” Laura pointedly looked at her.

            “I don’t,” Carmilla smiled. “But I do remember how they taste. Sweet. I thought you would enjoy them.”

            “She said that they remind her of you,” JP whispered to Laura.

            Even though there was no blood running through her veins, she still felt like her ears were turning red. She never intended for Laura to hear that. In fact, she hadn’t even realized she had said it to JP out loud until he responded to it.

            “I can hear you,” Carmilla growled at JP.

            He jumped up, bowed, mumbling an apology and then retreated to the kitchen.

            “Come on Carm,” Laura giggled at her. “He was just trying to be funny. Be nice to him. And I’ll take that as compliment, no need to be embarrassed.”

            Carmilla would never show embarrassment toward anything. At least, she would not appear to be embarrassed by anything. With years of practice, it was easy for Carmilla to play off any embarrassments.

            “Embarrassed,” Carmilla scoffed. “I’m not embarrassed. I would’ve told you myself, creampuff.”

            She winked at Laura whose face turned red and then picked up her fork, stuffing some of the food in her mouth.

            “Ohmigodmess,” Laura said with a mouth full of food. “Dish ism amashing.”

            Carmilla let out a small chuckle.

            While Laura was enjoying her food, she got up from her seat and found her way to the wine cabinet.

            “Something to drink?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura nodded.

            Carmilla looked at her wide selection of drinks. Mother had taught her about complimenting certain wines and liquor with the food palette, but she hadn’t thought about food in years. She could hardly remember what actual food tasted like.

            “One of the Sauvignon Blancs,” she heard a whisper and looked up to see that LaFontaine was spying from above the wine cabinet.

            Carmilla nodded her head and then closed the cabinet door with enough force to knock LaFontaine off balance and fall over.

            “You’re welcome, Master,” Carmilla heard LaFontaine mumble under their breath.

            “Go away,” Carmilla growled.

            “You say something Carm?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla whipped her head around and smiled.

            “Just trying to pick out a wine cupcake,” Carmilla thought quickly. “I found one.”

            Carmilla waved the bottle of wine in her hand and grabbed two glasses from the china cabinet next to the wine cabinet.

            She brought them over to the table and then poured a glass for herself and Laura.

            Laura reached out to take the glass, brushing Carmilla’s hand as she grabbed it from her. Carmilla let her hand linger for a moment, feeling Laura’s soft touch on her skin.

            “Carm… Your hands…”

            Carmilla quickly retracted her hand from the glass.

            “Sorry,” she grumbled and turned to go back to her seat.

            “No, no,” Laura shook her head. “Look at them.”

            Carmilla looked down at her hands in confusion. She turned her hands over to see that the claws on her hands were no longer there.

            “What th-“ Carmilla growled and then felt she hands shift, her claws returning to her hands. Whatever had happened, it had only been momentary.

            She felt a hand on her back and turned to see that Laura had gotten up from her seat.

            “That was… weird,” Carmilla offered Laura a small smile. “That’s never happened before.”

            “Maybe,” Laura said hopefully. “It means the curse in breaking?”

            Carmilla shook her head. It wasn’t possible. There was only one way to break the curse and there was no way that was happening. It wasn’t even supposed to be like this. It had to be some sort of… fluke or trick of the eye.

            “Come on, Carm,” Laura softly grabbed Carmilla’s hands. “There has to be a way to break the curse.”

            There was, but it wasn’t possible for Carmilla. Laura was just so full of hope in that moment that Carmilla couldn’t bear to break it right now.

            “Maybe,” Carmilla sighed, letting go of Laura’s hands and setting herself back into the chair.

            Laura’s eyes dropped, like she was slightly upset about something. Maybe it was the fact that she felt that Carmilla’s answer was fake.

            Laura sat back down quietly and resumed eating her dinner. Seeing her like that, there was a pang in Carmilla’s chest. She didn’t mean to upset her, but Carmilla wasn’t about to try and talk about breaking the curse right now… ever actually.

            They sat in silence as Laura ate her food and Carmilla sipped on her wine and read her book.

            “I thought you couldn’t eat or drink human food,” Laura asked quietly.

            Carmilla smirked and looked up from her book.

            “Food, cutie,” Carmilla responded. “Thankfully, I can still drink alcohol. While it does nothing to my blood alcohol content, I still like the taste and it reminds me of what I once could taste. I can’t really remember what food tastes like.”

            “Ah… Speaking of… You’re not… eating? Drinking dinner tonight?”

            Carmilla frowned. Sure she was slightly thirsty right now, but she had a good bit of blood earlier for lunch to tide her over until later.

            “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Carmilla remarked. “I’m not sure that it would help your appetite either.”

            Laura shrugged.

            “It would be okay if you did, I don’t want you to mess up your routine because of me. Besides, from here, it would just look like another cup of wine to me. Please don’t just go hungry because of me.”

            “I had enough earlier, really it’s fine.” Carmilla insisted.

            “Carm… For goodness sakes, don’t be stubborn and eat-drink your dinner,” Laura said annoyed.

            Carmilla’s eyes practically shot up to her forehead. She had expected Laura to be so insistent on her being comfortable. Also, there was that same tone that Laura had used before. So authoritative and insistent. That was something Carmilla wasn’t used to. People didn’t speak to her like that.

            “Fine,” she growled, shocked at herself for letting Laura speak to her like that. It didn’t bother her for some reason. Last time Will gave her that tone of voice, she had thrown him into the nearest wall, rattling his gears. LaFontaine and Kirsch had to help put him back together. Coming from Laura though, Carmilla didn’t want to throttle her across the room for it. Surprisingly, it made her feel… comfortable. No. That wasn’t the right word. Cared for.

            “JP,” she shouted. “Bring me a cup for dinner.”

            Laura gave her a pointed look.

            “Please…” Carmilla finished with a growl, but thought it was worth the small chuckle from Laura’s throat.

            JP quickly emerged from the kitchen. As the door opened, Carmilla caught a small glimpse of her staff, peaking through the door. They must be listening in on Carmilla and Laura’s dinner conversation.

            She suppressed a growl and would have to have a word with them later.

            JP placed a large, grey ceramic stein in front of her, bowed and exited the dining room without a word.

            Carmilla grabbed the drink in front of her and brought it to her lips, watching Laura as she did it. Laura was watching Carmilla closely. Carmilla hesitated as she took a sip.

            Laura smiled triumphantly causing Carmilla to shake her head and give her a side smile.

            They both finished their meals in silence, Laura focused on her food and Carmilla sipping and reading her book.

            After Laura had finished her dinner, JP immediately popped out and offered Laura some of the creampuffs that he made.

            “That was wonderful,” Laura said to JP. “And these look amazing. But…”

            “You’re full,” JP said sadly.

            “No! I really do want some,” Laura said quickly. “You mind if I take these to go? I was kind of hoping to go on a walk.”

            Carmilla finished her drink and looked up from her book at the two of them.

            “Oh,” JP said with surprise. “Yes of course. I’ll just grab you some napkins.”

            “Going for a walk?” Carmilla asked trying to hide her disappointment. She was enjoying this time with Laura and didn’t want it to end quite yet.

            “Yes, and I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me,” Laura said giving her an unsure smile.

            Carmilla returned the smile and got up from her seat.

            “Of course, Laura. I’d love to join you.”

            As Laura got up, JP came out of the kitchen and handed her a few creampuffs wrapped in some napkins.

            “Thanks JP, I’m sure these will be just as good as dinner.”

            “No problem Laura,” JP smiled as he returned to the kitchen once more.

            “Do you want to see anything in particular?” Carmilla asked as she opened the dining room door for Laura.

            “Just thought we could take a walk outside,” Laura suggested. “I know that the sun hurts you so, I thought taking a night walk would be a good idea.”

            Carmilla laughed.

            “The sun doesn’t hurt me, cutie. You know that feeling you get in your eyes when you stare at the sun too long? That’s how my eyes feel all the time without sunglasses.”

            “Oh, so you can walk outside?”

            “Yes,” Carmilla laughed. “I think you’ve been reading too much vampire lore. I’m not like that nor do I get a shiny and sparkly in the sun.”

            “You’ve read Twilight?” Laura asked in surprise.

            “Sadly, yes,” Carmilla answered. “I was bored, and it was one of the new books that happened to pop up in the library.”

            Laura laughed. Another sweet sound.

            Carmilla opened the entrance door for Laura.

            “Such a gentlewoman,” Laura commented as she walked outside.

            “Always have to be when in the presence of a beautiful woman,” Carmilla smirked.

            Laura blushed and stopped in her tracks as Carmilla walked past her. It was one of the cutest things to see Laura’s reaction to Carmilla’s comments.

             Carmilla could also hear her heartbeat pick up as one of her reactions.

            Laura rushed to catch up with her and to her surprise, Laura looped her arm through hers as they walked down the stairs.

            Carmilla didn’t have any particular destination in mind and it seemed like Laura didn’t either. She didn’t mind. Carmilla pointed out each flower in her garden, giving Laura some random facts as Laura listened quietly.

            They came one of the rock benches in the garden and Laura ushered Carmilla to it. She followed the smaller girl and sat down next to her. Laura still had her arm looped around Carmilla’s.

            Carmilla looked up at the stars in the sky. They were always amazing out here. You could see them so much better out here than in the town. There was less light out here. The stars were a little shinier tonight.

            She had done a lot of reading about space and the stars. It was incredible how far technology and discovery had come in her time. It was incredible, but it also reminded her that she really wasn’t supposed to be here. She had remained twenty for way too long.

            “Carm?” she heard Laura ask. “Did you hear me?”

            Carmilla turned her head to face Laura’s. She was a lot closer than Carmilla had expected her to be. The moonlight glowed against her skin and her eyes shined as bright as the stars.

            “I’m sorry, cutie, I was lost in thought.”

            “What are you thinking about?”

            “Just the stars and time,” Carmilla answered. She wouldn’t tell Laura the whole truth. It would just make her sad. “You know that the light on the stars takes thousands of years to reach the Earth? They could be gone right now, and we wouldn’t know for centuries.”

            “Have you noticed any stars disappear?”

            “No cupcake,” Carmilla laughed. “I haven’t been around that long, and I don’t have that kind of perception.”

            “Right,” Laura smiled sheepishly.

            “It’s comforting to think how small we are in comparison. All the lives we’ve lived, the people we’ve been… Nothing to that light.”

            “That’s very… perceptive.”

            Carmilla felt Laura shift, letting go of her arm. She frowned at the loss of contact, but then Laura grabbed Carmilla’s hand in hers, starting to trace circles around her hand with her thumb.

            “That’s kind of sad though,” Laura continued. “I like to think that our lives mean something to someone. You can change someone’s life just by being it. You can change someone’s whole world view with one conversation. Who knows? That person might just be someone who will change the world. Or maybe one person’s world and it continues.”

            “It wasn’t meant to be sad,” Carmilla added. “Although, I do like your opinion. I just meant that there are bigger things out there in the world compared to us. It’s comforting that we aren’t the biggest things in our lives. There are other things out there.”

            “Hmmm… I get that, but I think I like my versi-“ Laura let out a big yawn. It almost the cutest thing Carmilla had ever seen.

            “I think it’s time for you to get some sleep,” Carmilla chuckled.

            “No,” Laura complained. “We’re having such a good time and-“

            Laura yawned again, covering her mouth with her hand.

            “Okay,” Laura continued. “I guess I should probably get some sleep. Can we go for another walk tomorrow?”

            Carmilla raised her eyebrows. Laura wanted to spend more time with her. Sure, they had been spent a lot of time together today, but she was shocked that Laura wanted to spend more with her.

            “Of course, if you want to,” Carmilla said. “We can take a walk tomorrow morning. I can show you the lake.”

            Carmilla got up from the bench, her hand still in Laura’s, tugging on it to help her up.

            “I’ve seen the lake,” Laura responded. “There was a dock.”

            “You haven’t seen all of the lake. There’s more than just the dock that I can show you if you would like. There’s a nice spot to read if you would like to bring a book.”

            “That sounds nice,” Laura sounded pretty sleepy.

            “Alright cupcake, let’s get you back to the castle,” Carmilla chuckled and let go of Laura’s hand. She could’ve sworn that she heard a small whine, but it must have been something else.

            She wrapped her around Laura’s waist, supporting her weight. Laura reacted by wrapping her arm around Carmilla’s shoulders and pulling her in close.

            “I didn’t realize how tired I was,” Laura said as they walked.

            “You did spend a lot of time walking around the castle today.”

            “Do you really not sleep?” Laura asked suddenly.

            Carmilla wasn’t shocked by the question. She had told Laura before that she doesn’t sleep. It was bound to come up again since Laura didn’t take her seriously when she said it.

            “No, Laura,” Carmilla answered after her moment of thought. “I haven’t had a wink of sleep since the day I was turned into a beast.”

            She had tried many times before just to pass the time but sleep never came to her. The only time she had ever been unconscious is when she had starved herself to no end and woke up passed out in the fountain area. Even then, she couldn’t have entirely been unconscious.

            “That sucks,” Laura pointed out. “Sleep is great.”

            “I know cutie, I wasn’t always like this,” Carmilla sighed.

            “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Laura said apologetically.

            “I know Laura,” Carmilla smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

            They entered the castle, but Laura didn’t leave Carmilla’s side right away. They reached the top of the stairs where it split into the west and east wings.

            Carmilla should part with her here. She wanted to go to her room and check in on the rose. It was something that she hadn’t been thinking of recently. Laura was mostly on her mind now a days. When the curse takes hold permanently, she wouldn’t mind spending the time with Laura here in the castle.

            “I should go to my room and get a few things done,” Carmilla said letting go of Laura’s waist.

            “Oh, yea,” Laura replied in surprise and let go of Carmilla’s shoulders. “I should totally get some sleep.”

            Carmilla smiled at her and awkwardly turned to retire to her room for the night. She could probably finish her book tonight.

            “Carm…” she heard Laura and felt Laura grab her hand, turning her back to face her.

            Carmilla looked at her eyes. There was something there… Carmilla couldn’t figure it out what it was, but Laura’s heartrate had increased significantly.

            “Thanks… Thanks for dinner and tonight,” Laura smiled shyly at her. “I had a good time.”

            “Uhhh yea,” Carmilla responded with surprise. “No problem cupcake. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            Laura stepped towards Carmilla and brought her face closer to hers. Then she felt Laura’s lips make contact with her cheek. She was surprised at the contact. They were as soft and warm as Carmilla had imagined they were, actually, more than Carmilla imagined.

            They lingered there for a little while longer before Laura pulled away.

            “Goodnight Carm,” she said quickly and walked to her room.

            Carmilla watched as Laura disappeared up the stairs. She was so shocked at the events that just occurred. Laura had given her a kiss on the cheek. She hadn’t had human contact in… in decades and had forgotten what it was like.

            This was much more than that though. It was something different. Then she felt something different. A thump in her chest.

            Carmilla grabbed her chest in shock. There was no other movement. It couldn’t have been a heartbeat. That was impossible. Her heart hadn’t beat for over two hundred years. Carmilla shook her head. It was all in her head.

            She trudged up the stairs to her room, listening to Laura’s heart beating unlike her own. She listened until she heard the change of rhythm, indicating that she had fallen fast asleep.

Chapter Text

            Laura woke with only one thought in her mind. Rather one person. Carmilla.

            She could feel the ghost of Carmilla’s cheek against her lips. Even though her skin felt cold, it was much softer than she had imagined. No matter how hard her appearance or personality had seemed, Laura was constantly surprised with the softness that Carmilla actually had underneath it all.

            There was so much more on the inside of Carmilla than Laura ever thought. The anger, the sadness, the hate was all a façade. It was one created by the circumstances that Carmilla had been put through.

            There was a chance that Laura could have ended up in the same shoes as Carmilla. They had both lost a parent- well Carmilla had lost both- at a very young age. Laura’s father hadn’t been cruel or anything after her mother died, but he had his flaws.

             Laura remembered her father acting different to her when she was much younger. He was less attentive than he was now. There were moments where he would forget anyone and everything, daydream and get lost in his thoughts. Some days it was because of her mom’s death, some days it was from his experiences in the war, sometimes it was both.

            Luckily, he had snapped out of one day. He became super protective of Laura and wanted her close to her for as long as he could. They grew close. Most of the time, she wished her dad wasn’t so protective, but it was better than the alternative.

            She saw what the alternative could breed.

            The lake. Carmilla had promised her that she was going to show her the lake today. Even though Laura had seen it before, she suspected that there was more to it than meets the eye much like everything else around here.

            Laura was giddy with excitement. Not about the lake, but about spending more time with Carmilla. She knew that there was definitely more to learn about her. It was like Laura had learned more things about life and the world in these past few days than she had ever learned in Silas before.

            She jumped out of bed and started rummaging through the drawers. Her head turned towards the window to see what the weather was like, but the curtains were closed.

            Laura threw the curtains open and the sun hit her eyes rather quickly. She had to shield her eyes from sun and let them adjust to the amount of light.

            The sun was shining high, but when she looked down at the ground, there was still a large amount of snow on the ground. She popped the window open a smidge and felt the cold air hit her face.

            It was amazing. Despite the sun being out during the day, it was perpetually cold and snowy on the castle grounds.

            Laura settled on wearing some black leggings, a simple white long sleeve underneath a long red coat and high light brown socks with a pair of brown boots. She decided to toss on a white scarf around her neck on the way out.

            She stopped by the coffee table that had a stack of books. She remembered Carmilla mentioning bringing a book because it was a good place to read. It took her a moment to choose before she settled on a book by William Sharp that held many of his poems. 

            Instead of waiting for some food in the dining room, Laura made her way to the kitchen. She didn’t want JP to whip her up a big breakfast today. She wanted something quick and easy to eat. The faster she ate, the earlier she could meet Carmilla outside.

            “Laura,” JP smiled with surprise. “You look lovely this morning. What are you doing in here? I could have some breakfast out in the dining room in a little bit of time.”

            “You’re so kind JP, but I just wanted something quick to eat this morning. Do you have any granola bars or some cereal and milk?”

            “I most certainly do in the pantry, what would you like?”

            “I think a granola bar will do for now,” Laura smiled.

            “That’s not quite a full breakfast,” JP frowned as she shuffled through the very large pantry. “It’ll only take me a moment to whip up some eggs for you.”

            “Really, it’s all right,” Laura insisted. She just wanted to stuff this bar down her throat and head out the door.

            “Hmmm… Why in such a hurry this morning?” JP asked as he handed her the granola bar.

            “No particular reason,” Laura replied as she unwrapped the bar and took a bit out of it. It was strawberry flavored.

            “This wouldn’t have to do with meeting the Master this morning now would it?” Laura watched as JP’s “eyebrows”- they were really these bar metal bars as the handles to the stove- wiggle up and down.

            “Psshhhh,” Laura could feel her cheeks turn red. “N-No and where would you get that idea?”

            “Word travels fast in the castle and it’s not easy to do or say anything in this castle without someone else seeing,” JP winked at her… she thinks.

            “Well,” Laura walked to the door that took her out towards the garden. “I wonder what Carm would think if she knew that you were all spying on us last night.”

            She heard JP squeak and a small plea came from his mouth as Laura laughed lightly.

            “Don’t worry JP, I’m only kidding,” she called out to him as she exited the kitchen.

            Laura couldn’t imagine that spying on Carmilla was easy. There was no way that Carmilla didn’t know that they were spying on them last night. The woman had super hearing for goodness sakes.

            Oh… But then… They must have seen her give Carmilla a kiss on the cheek last night.

            Laura shook her head as she walked through the snow. It wasn’t that big of deal. She just wanted to give her a proper thank you for dinner and the walk and everything.

            She often kissed her father on the cheek when she thanked him sometimes. It was just like that… But it wasn’t at all. Laura kissed Carmilla on the cheek for other reasons. Other reasons that Laura wasn’t quite ready to divulge into yet.

            It was just a friendly kiss. It wasn’t like Laura had tried to kiss her on the lips. She meant to kiss her on the cheek. She could only imagine what Carmilla’s lips felt like though. It must be like the rest of her body. Hard and cold looking on the outside, but soft and oddly warm for someone whose temperature ran so cold.

            Nope, nope, nope, Laura would not think about Carmilla’s lips. Laura didn’t even know why she was thinking about her lips right now. No matter how she was feeling about seeing something else behind Carmilla, she was still her… captor.

            This must be like Stockholm syndrome or something. Even though she knew that was a possibility, Laura couldn’t help but still feel this magnetic pull towards Carmilla.

            Laura looked up from the ground to see the large greenhouse in front of her. Leaning against it, was Carmilla.

            She was wearing black jeans and boots with a long navy-blue trench coat, the collar popped up and sunglasses on her face. It could’ve been a trick of the eye, but Carmilla’s hair looked tamer and more flowy like she took a comb to it all night. Her black, shiny locks cascaded in small curls down her shoulders. Her hair looked so soft, so beautiful like someone could run their hands through it easily.

            “Uhhh… Everything alright cupcake? You look a little surprised to see me,” Carmilla had a tone of doubt in her voice like Laura wasn’t happy to see her. She visibly went from casually leaning against the greenhouse to shifting her weight back and forth on her legs.

            It was kind of cute to see Carmilla when she was nervous. It didn’t seem that it happened often, but it did seem like it was becoming more frequent.

            “Oh,” Laura gave her a large smile. “Everything is great. I am so happy to see you this morning, I can’t wait to see the lake… again.”

            Carmilla gave her a small side smile.

            “What book have you got there?” Carmilla asked as Laura approached her.

            “William Sharp,” Laura said. “It’s pages are full of his poems.”

            “Hmmm… I have read them,” Carmilla grabbed the book from Laura and flipped through the pages.

            “Hey,” Laura protested and reached for the book, but Carmilla was quick and avoided her reach.

            “In a fair place,” Carmilla started reading slowly “Of whin and grass, I heard feet pass Where no one was.”

            Carmilla’s voice was slow and calm. It sounded like she should be whispering, but she was talking in a regular voice. Laura watched her lips as the moved and she read the rest of the poem.

            I saw a face

            Bloom like a flower—

            Nay, as the rainbow-shower

            Of a tempestuous hour.

            Her voice was so captivating, and her lips moved so slowly and smoothly. It seemed like she spoke so beautifully effortlessly.

            It was not man, or woman;

            It was not human:

            But, beautiful and wild,

            Terribly undefiled.

            I knew an unborn child.

            Laura didn’t even register that the poem was finished. She kept waiting for more words to come out of Carmilla’s smooth mouth. It was like a siren’s song the way that she spoke when she read the poem.

            Carmilla slammed the book shut and Laura’s eyes shot up to meet hers. Carmilla had been watching her stare at her since she finished the poem. Laura felt her cheeks flush and then looked at the ground.

            Laura scolded herself for getting caught staring at her like that. Most of the time, Carmilla’s voice was either loud and gruff or low and… secretive. So, when she read the poem out loud, her voice was so different from what Laura was used to. Laura didn’t know how to describe it.

            A pair of black boots came into Laura’s view of the ground, she immediately looked up and saw that Carmilla had stepped right in front of her. Her arms held up the book and her head tilted, looking at Laura with a bit of concern and a bit of amusement.

            “You want to see the lake, cutie?” Carmilla asked.

            “Oh, uhhh yea!” Laura squeaked out a little too enthusiastically.

            So much for trying to play that cool, Laura had thought to herself. She had definitely just embarrassed herself further with Carmilla today. It seemed to be a pattern they were forming except Carmilla wasn’t making fun of her right now. Instead, she just chuckled, handed Laura the book back and started walking towards the lake.

            Laura wished that Carmilla could take the sunglasses off. Her expression was so much easier to read and decipher when Laura could see her eyes. This was going to be an interesting walk…

            They had reached the docks and Carmilla explaining what the docks used to be used for back in the day before the curse. Laura was barely listening though. She was debating the whole time whether or not she should grab Carmilla’s hand or her arm. Carmilla’s arm was just dangling beside her. Her arms weren’t in her pocket, they weren’t crossed over her chest, they were just relaxed beside her.

            She would occasionally point out where the boats used to and how there would be barrels of fish lined up on the ground near the dock, but that was it.

            “Laura?”

            Hearing her name snapped her out of it. Carmilla’s arm was still in the back of her mind, but Carmilla had her head tilted like she had just asked her a question. It took Laura a moment to figure out what it was.

            “Yes, I would love to see more,” Laura responded remembering what Carmilla asked her.

            “You okay cutie?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura studied Carmilla’s face. She could see a small wrinkle of concern in her forehead, but a small smile on her lips. Her eyes were hidden though. Laura couldn’t even see through the sunglasses to see her eyes, so she stepped closer until their faces were only inches apart.

            “I can’t see your eyes,” Laura couldn’t recognize her own voice for a second. It sounded far away and was almost a whisper.

            Carmilla chuckled again and stepped back.

            “That’s the point of these sunglasses cupcake. They’re so dark that they keep the sun out of my eyes.”

            Carmilla continued walking, but Laura was stuck on the spot for a moment. She had been so excited for this day, but Laura couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Well, she couldn’t focus on anything besides the woman that she was with. She needed to be cooler about this. It was like the kiss on the cheek last night took out all her focus.

            She felt a tug on her hand. Carmilla had walked back over and grabbed her hand, now leading her on this walk.

            “Come on cupcake, I’m sorry you can’t look into these great, beautiful eyes right now, but that’s no reason to be so sad,” Carmilla joked.

            Laura laughed a little, but she was truly sad that she couldn’t see Carmilla’s eyes right now.

            They walked hand-in-hand past the docks where there was a large bridge over a river that fed into the lake.

            “This water that flows into this lake comes from the snow that melts off the top of the mountains. If you hike far up enough into the mountains, the streams are so fresh that you can drink straight from it.”

            “That’s kind of cool,” Laura replied as the stopped on the bridge.

            Laura looked out from the bridge. The lake was still frozen over, glittering from the sun shining against the ice crystals.

            Carmilla moved them forward then let go of Laura’s hand to lean on the bridge’s railing.

            “Have you ever crossed this lake?” Laura asked as she leaned next to Carmilla.

            “Not completely,” Carmilla answered. “But my father used to use it was a means of transportation into the town. Sometimes, during the summer it was much quicker than taking a horse through the forest.”

            “The town is on the other side of the lake?”

            If Silas truly was on the other side of the lake, maybe the tower she had seen as those years ago was the castle tower. She wasn’t crazy and she hadn’t just been seeing things. The castle was here all along.

            “Silas is there,” Carmilla sighed. “I walked upon the frozen ice to see it a few years ago, but eventually the ice eventually started to feel softer and crack. I wasn’t sure what time of year it was, but I guessed it must have been summer. I never made it across.”

            “How far of a walk is it?”

            “A very long walk,” Carmilla said distantly.

            “What were you doing?”

            Carmilla paused and turned her head to Laura.

            “I’m not sure,” she said with confusion. “I just decided one day that I wanted to see if I could cross the river to get to town. I wasn’t actually planning on going into town because… well, I’m a beast, but I just felt like I should see if I could. Least to say, I couldn’t.”

            Laura set her book on the flat railing and opened it up. Carmilla had read one of the poems, and now Laura thought that it would be a good idea if she were to read one now. She flipped the book open and deciding to read the first one that she saw.

            “The air is blue and keen and cold,” Laura read. “And in a frozen sheath enrolled.”

            She paused to look up at Carmilla, whose eyes seemed to be trained on the landscape before them.

            “Each branch, each twig, each blade of grass,” Laura continued. “Seems clad miraculously with glass.”

            “It’s like I’m seeing it for the first time,” Carmilla spoke, her eyes still looking out on the lake.

            Laura realized how fitting the poem was for where they were. An eternal winter here where the lake was eternally frozen over. She turned her eyes to Carmilla.

            Carmilla was staring off at the frozen lake. Laura could see a hint of her eye through the sides of her sunglasses. Her face was calm and relaxed. It was the first time that Laura had seen her face truly relaxed.

            The black veins on her face looked more faded against the sunlight. Besides the black veins on her face, there were no other marks on it. Her face was almost flawless.

            “Is there more?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura smiled. Carmilla still didn’t turn her head from the view, but she could see her eyes flitted towards her for a moment.

            “But in that solemn silence Is heard the whisper,” Laura continued the poem. “Of every sleeping thing: “Look at me, look at me Come wake me up For still here I be”.”

            Laura looked up from the book at see that Carmilla was now turned towards her. She had pulled her sunglasses down just enough to reveal her eyes. She was staring at Carmilla as Laura met her eyes.

            Her eyes were studying Laura and Laura suddenly realized the meaning of the poem. Laura’s eyes widened at little bit and she turned away from Carmilla sheepishly.

            There was some meaning in the poem that Laura couldn’t quite pin. She never saw the world outside of Silas. This was the closest that Laura had ever come to seeing something outside of Silas. It was new and it was opening her eyes to see that there was much more to Silas than she ever realized. Which means that there had to be more to the world than Laura could ever dream of.

            Laura’s whole world view had been changed in a matter of a few days. Not everything is at is seems. She never would’ve thought that she would come to like her captor, care about her. It was so… complicated. It was something that she didn’t want to have to think about right now.

            “Come on cupcake,” Carmilla gave her a soft smile. “There’s more I want to show you.”

            Carmilla never smiled enough for Laura to see her fangs. She could almost imagine her without fangs, the black veins and scars. It was like Laura could see the girl that she used to be underneath all of that.

            Laura smiled back and took Carmilla’s hand in hers.

            They walked over the bridge towards a small rock beach. The whole thing was covered in a light blanket of glittering snow, rocks peeking out from underneath at all. All of the snow looked completely untouched, no sign of dirt seeping into from it. There were no blotches of brown or black, it was all white and the reflection from the sun almost made Laura wish that she had sunglasses to guard her eyes from it.

             Where the rocks ended, there was a tree line of deep green evergreen trees. They stood proudly against the mountains in the background, in a dark contrast against the fallen snow littered amongst the trees and on the ground.

            It looked like a scene straight out of a storybook. It was something that Laura had only seen in pictures and heard about through her books. She didn’t think she’d ever see something like this in Silas. She could only wonder what else Silas had to offer that she had never seen before.

            Carmilla let go of her hand and Laura found herself missing the feeling of the other girl’s hand in her own.

            She stopped at a fallen log and sat down at a fallen log, gesturing at Laura to sit down next to her.

            Laura walked over to the log to see that Carmilla had a pair of ice skates in her hand.

            “Ice skating?” Laura questioned her.

            Carmilla nodded and handed the pair of skates to her as she sat down.

            “Have you ever ice skated before?” Carmilla asked.

            “A few times, a long time ago. I was never really good at it though,” Laura blushed.

            Carmilla chuckled.

            “It’s all good cutie, I can help you out.”

            Laura held the skates in her hands, observing them. They were white with silver laces, looking like that had never been used before. She reached down and ran her hand along the side of the blade.

            “You don’t have to skate though,” Carmilla said quickly. “If you don’t want to. I just thought I find something fun to do today.”

            “I want to!” Laura practically shouted and blushed at her reaction.

            As they approached the edge of the lake, Carmilla removed one of her coats and placed it down on the ground. She sat down and started undoing her shoe laces.

            “Won’t you get cold?”

            “I don’t get cold,” Carmilla answered. “One of the few benefits of being a beast.”

            It sounded like it meant to be a joke, but the way her voice tapered off at the end made Laura think otherwise.

            She wanted to say that she didn’t think that Carmilla was really a beast. She wanted to say that appearances aren’t everything and that Laura thought that she was really beautiful on the inside and the out despite everything. However, Laura just smiled at her, sitting down next to her and keeping her mouth shut.

            Carmilla had her skates on and laced up in a few moments, a lot faster than Laura. She was struggling with the laces.

Carmilla sat up off the coat and smoothly pushed off the ground with her skates to give her the momentum to begin skating on the ice.

            Laura watched her as Carmilla danced on the ice. It was like she was floating above the ice, her legs effortlessly pushing her forward. The air flowed around her as she skated, her hair flowing behind her, giving Laura a perfect view of Carmilla’s sharp jawline.

            She quickly spun around, facing Laura, eyes hidden behind her sunglasses.

            “You good there cutie?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura had been staring at Carmilla skate that she had forgotten that she was struggling to lace up her skates. She was suddenly nervous to skate next to her. She couldn’t skate like Carmilla could, she would likely fall down a lot.

            “Ummm… Can’t really get these laces to work,” Laura replied with embarrassment.

            Carmilla skated over, knelt down in front of her and asked for silent permission to help her.

            Laura gave her a small nod and Carmilla gingerly grabbed Laura’s skate, placing it on her knee, working and tightening the laces.

            “Sooo, how often do you skate?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla didn’t look up as she grabbed Laura’s other skate and started working on that.

            “Not too often, but I guess doing it every once in a while, over the last few centuries adds up. It’s not something I’ve ever been too interested in, but it’s something to fill my time with. The enhanced reactions tend to help too.”

            As she finished her sentence, she had laced up the last of Laura’s skates.

            “Ready?” Carmilla asked as held out her hand.

            Laura felt her heart racing as she reached up to grab it. She didn’t want to make a complete fool of herself on the ice.

            Carmilla gently pulled Laura up. Her legs started shaking underneath her as felt herself getting off balance on the ice. Her grip on Carmilla’s hands increased as she leaned on her to balance herself from falling. She was grateful for Carmilla’s strength.

            “Don’t worry cupcake, I won’t let you fall,” Carmilla chuckled.

            Laura looked up at her and despite not being able to see her eyes, she could hear the sincereness in her voice and could feel it in her grip. Carmilla wouldn’t let her fall.

            “Just hang onto my hands and take it one foot at a time. Don’t try to walk, push your legs off the ice behind you. Let your feet slide back, don’t fight it and use that to push yourself forward.”

            Laura tried to listen to what Carmilla was telling her, but she was still terrified of losing her balance and falling on her ass or on her face.

            “Relax Laura, you won’t fall,” Carmilla assured her.

            Hearing her name come softly out of Carmilla’s voice made her smile and relax just a little bit.

            Carmilla carefully led Laura around the ice, letting her get used to the feeling of how the skates worked and the ice beneath her. Carmilla coached her through being able to move on the ice without falling.

            After a while, Laura finally felt like she was getting the hang of it. Carmilla released her grip, letting Laura try to skate by herself.

            With Carmilla out of the way, Laura could feel the wind move around her as she moved forward. She couldn’t help but still feel nervous about falling, all the was keeping her up was her balance on the thin piece of metal under her. The longer she was able to stand up without falling, her confidence grew and so did the smile on her face.

            Laura felt like she was flying on the ice. It was like a piece of snow falling down with the wind.

            Then that feeling was interrupted by gravity. One moment she felt like she was flying on the ice, then she felt the ground slip completely beneath her. A sound left her mouth, as the ground started to get closer to her face.

            But it never reached her face. She felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her, holding her up from the ground. They pulled her up and Laura placed her hands on those arms and looked up.

            Carmilla’s face was incredibly close, she could clearly see the defined lines of black on her face. It was smooth for the most part without any flaws except for the large burn scar that covered up almost a third of her face.

            Her smooth, white lips were parted, but no breath was coming out of it. Those lips formed into a smirk. She wondered what they felt like, if they were really as smooth as they looked.

            “Told you I wouldn’t let you fall,” Carmilla breathed softly, breaking the long silence.

            Laura cleared her throat and backed away slightly, still leaning on Carmilla with her arms, recovering from… from… she couldn’t decide if she was recovering from the almost fall or the small distance that was just between them.

            “Thanks,” Laura mumbled.

            “Well,” Carmilla said, grabbing Laura’s hand guiding her. “I’m ready to call it good if you are.”

            Laura was grateful for that. She enjoyed skating, but the almost fall to her face had her rattled a little bit. Even if they were to continue, she would need a moment before skating by herself again.

            “Yeah,” Laura replied following her to the shoreline. “All this skating is making me hungry. I could go for some of JP’s cupcakes.”

            “Cupcakes for the cupcake, huh?”

            Laura blushed, ignoring the comment.

Chapter Text

            Laura sat outside on one of the benches in between the many different rows of rose bushes. After ice staking, they returned to the castle so Laura could grab something to eat. Carmilla had disappeared for a while after that. Laura wasn’t sure what she spent her time doing when she wasn’t with Laura. Living for years on end, not leaving the castle must get boring. There was only so much you could do to fill your time with trivial things. Chores didn’t seem to be a thing that she did, so there was only so much that Laura could find that she could do. Maybe she was getting her own “meal” at the time. Before Laura could continue her thoughts about that, Carmilla returned just as she was finishing her meal.

            Carmilla had told her that she was going to tend to her roses in the garden. Laura had asked if she could join her. Carmilla had smiled and said that she was always more than welcome to join her outside.

Right now, she had her book in one hand and a creampuff in the other. She really did enjoy JP’s deserts. It was a shame that no one else in the castle could taste them like she could. She wondered how JP was able to create such perfections without being able to taste them. Once he returned to a human state, he could probably run a very successful restaurant if he wanted too.

            She paused her reading to grab another creampuff on a plate next to her and she looked up at Carmilla. She was a bit away from her, using some pruning shears to tend to her rose bushes. Even though roses seemed to be at the center of her problems, she treated them with such care, carefully trimming them to her liking.

            There were many bushes, Laura had to wonder how she got to them all.

            In the moment, she could sense the tenderness Carmilla had around the roses. She was so focused and calm while trimming. She paid attention to every detail in every rose and branch. It was refreshing from the sadness and anger that she tended to surround herself with.

            She would carefully brush the snow off the bushes, step back and observe the bush for a moment before taking the sheers and clipping certain branches and leaves.

            Even in the perpetual cold, these roses seemed to flourish. The snow seemed to have no effect on the roses.

            With a wicked smile, Laura got an idea.

            Slowly, she rose from the bench, putting her book down and knelt on the ground. She used to her hands to push some snow together, sticking it together and forming it into a ball.

            She stood up, ready to launch it in Carmilla’s direction.

            “Don’t even think about it cupcake,” Carmilla said with her back turned towards her.

            Laura froze in her stance. So much for trying to be stealthy about it.

            She contemplated it for a moment, deciding if this really was a good idea. She had seen Carmilla take on a dozen wolves at once, one snowball wouldn’t be too much of a problem for her. Laura weighed her options for a moment before making a decision.

            The snowball flew through the air and hit Carmilla directly in the back of the head.

            Carmilla quickly turned around with surprise on her face. Laura let out a giggle which slowly faded when Carmilla’s look of surprise formed into a wicked grin.

            “Oh no, no, no,” Laura quickly turned and tried to hide behind something, anything, but it was too late. A huge snowball came straight for her and hit her square in the chest. It knocked her clean off her feet and straight onto her butt.

            A huge roar of laughter left Carmilla’s throat, Laura couldn’t help but smile. It was a nice laugh, care free. It was a new sound out of Carmilla’s mouth and Laura had to enjoy it for a moment.

            “I told you not too,” Carmilla said laughing.

            On the ground, she whipped up another snowball and threw it as she scrambled up from the ground.

            Carmilla moved and swiftly dodged it in a blink as Laura leapt behind the bench, shielding herself from the inevitable retaliation.

            Within seconds, a snowball fight ensued.

            Laura huffed at the unfairness of the fight. Carmilla dodged almost each snowball so effortlessly and gracefully. For every one snowball she threw, she only managed to land a few of them. Even then, it seemed like Carmilla let them hit her. She hit Laura with almost every single one she threw.

            The air was full of laughter and smiles. It was so innocent, almost child-like. It was incredible to see Carmilla like this- like children running and playing around the castle grounds.

            Laura had effectively built a small fort around the bench after a while. Carmilla didn’t need any cover, she was extremely efficient at dodging the snow that Laura launched at her from behind her fort.

            Eventually, the fort no longer held up and Laura was met with a slaughter of snowballs on her. Despite the cold, dripping wetness of the snow seeping into her cloths and on her skin, it didn’t bother her and she was having a really good time.

            When it did snow in Silas, Laura had never really had a true snowball fight with anyone. She didn’t have too many friends growing up and not many people wanted to have snowball fights in college.

            “Okay, okay,” Laura shouted holding her hands up. “I surrender! You win!”

            Carmilla had a huge smirk of victory on her face.

            “I told you not too creampuff,” Carmilla said approaching her failed fort. “Although, it’s not really fair to you considering my… special abilities.”

            She reached her hand out for Laura to help her up from the mess of snow around her.

            When Laura got up, she brushed off all the snow on her. She was now really starting to feel the icy cold water that was dripping down her clothes. The heat of the fight was quickly fading.

            “Your special turn into a panther ability?” Laura asked.

            “Not just that,” Carmilla laughed. “I heard every time you started to make one and move up from your little fort to throw it at me.”

            “You could hear that?” Laura questioned in amazement.

            “Yeah,” Carmilla laughed. “That and it’s easy to dodge your snowballs considering that I am much faster than you.”

            “So, you can turn into a panther, have super hearing and super speed,” Laura scoffed. “Anything else I should know about if I try to get into another snowball fight with you?”

            Carmilla looked shyly at the ground.

            “Sure, I can hear and smell things a normal person shouldn’t, and I can run at speeds and lift an absurd amount of weight. I can turn into a large animal, but you shouldn’t mistake me for some sort of superhero Laura…”

            Laura suddenly felt guilty for bringing it all up. She knew that Carmilla had some sort of abilities beyond a normal human being, but the way she talked about sounded like she was completely ashamed of it.

            She had every right to be. Most people would see her a monster when they first looked at her, but Laura knew that she was not that. She was much more than her appearance. They had both misjudged each other when they first met. Although, the circumstances surrounding it were a large factor in that.

            “I didn’t mean it that way,” Laura said softly approaching her, placing her hand on Carmilla’s shoulder.

            Carmilla flinched but didn’t shy away from her touch.

            “I think you’re pretty amazing actually,” Laura continued.

            Carmilla kept looking at the ground, probably lost her in own thoughts. She doubted herself and who she was. Laura couldn’t blame her. But Laura also saw right through it all. On the outside, she looked scary and cruel to anyone as Laura had when she first met her. Laura saw who Carmilla really could be, if she let herself feel more than the cruel fate that had been placed upon her.

            There was a lightness and kindness to Carmilla that Laura saw at certain times. When they were having their snowball fight, she could see it. She saw it when they were ice skating earlier too. She also saw it when on their walk after dinner last night. There was more there than most other people ever had.

            Even when she was angry, it was a façade. It was to protect herself from rejection and feeling ashamed about what she looked like. Even when she completely lost her temper about the rose inside the glass, it was to protect her and protect the people living inside the castle.

            Carmilla had never actually physically hurt her. Sure, she had her locked up for a while when she first arrived, but since then, Laura had been seeing all the different sides of Carmilla. The anger stemmed from insecurity and bitterness at the hand she was dealt.

            Something deep in her belly started stirring as started thinking about Carmilla. She pushed that feeling down for the moment, still not wanting to investigate what that meant. She feared what it could mean.

            The cold, wet snow was starting to really hit her now. Her clothes were covered in snow and dripping wet from the fight. It didn’t help that the sun was setting, and temperature was dropping quickly. Her boots were filled with water and she was really starting to feel uncomfortable, but her concern for the other girl made her push past it.

            “I-I- see you differently Carm,” Laura shivered. “No, you’re not a superhero, but you’re not a monster either.”

            Laura reached out and cupped Carmilla’s chin, willing the other girl to look into her eyes. They were still her natural chocolate brown, but they looked bloodshot, like tears were supposed to be coming out of them.

            “You don’t know me,” Carmilla said like she was trying to sound bitter, but it came out soft and sad.

            “I-I th-think I know y-you better t-than you think I do,” Laura stated, trying to hold back her teeth from chattering.

            Carmilla held her stare for a moment. It was like she was trying to convey something in her face that Laura couldn’t interpret. Her eyes were still hidden by her sunglasses.

            “You’re freezing cupcake,” Carmilla said with concern breaking the silence.

            “J-Just a-a-a bit,” Laura smiled, barely able to feel her lips.

            “Come on,” Carmilla grabbed Laura’s hand from her face, threading their fingers together. “Let’s get inside and you can get warmed up.”

            She wrapped her arm around Laura’s shoulder, pulling her close.

            Laura was freezing and even though Carmilla’s body temperature was well below normal, the gesture warmed up her. She placed her head in between Carmilla’s head and shoulder, trying to get warmer.

            Her nose was dying from the cold, but she could smell Carmilla. She smelled like forest and pine trees with hints of rose and something metallic. It didn’t bother Laura though, she found herself liking the smell. It somehow gave her comfort that even though, not completely human she smelled good and comfortable.

            They walked back to the castle doors, Carmilla’s hand and arm rubbing up and down Laura’s side. She was still shivering but slowly warming up in the crook of Carmilla’s arm.

            Carmilla took her sunglasses off as soon as they got inside. She continued to hold Laura underneath her arm all the way to her room in the east wing.

            “Okay creampuff,” Carmilla said at the door. “Why don’t you change, shower and get warmed up. While I don’t feel the cold, the feeling of wetness is still uncomfortable, so I’m going to do the same.”

            Laura laughed a little at that, the feeling in her lips coming back quickly.

            “I’ll meet you for dinner afterward,” Carmilla added.

            She let go of Laura and Laura missed the warmth that was Carmilla’s arm around her.

            Carmilla started to walk away, but Laura grabbed her hand.

            She didn’t know what she was doing, but she didn’t want Carm to go just yet. It was an instinctive grab like her hand had moved without permission from her brain.

            Carmilla turned around and looked at Laura questioningly, but softly.

            “Everything okay cupcake?”

            Laura couldn’t decide what to say. She really had no idea what she was doing. Her face started turning red, unsure of what to say.

            “Uhhh… Thanks,” Laura finally decided to say. “For keeping me warm on the way back here. It… uhhh… really helped.”

            Carmilla smiled at her. Like a real smile, her fangs showing. It didn’t scare Laura though. It would have been a jarring picture to anyone else, but she loved that she got a genuine full smile out of her. It was actually a beautiful smile.

            “Of course.”

            And with that, Laura let go of her hand and let her continue to walk back to her room.

            It felt a little odd, like the end of something familiar. It gave her a warm feeling in her chest.

            She watched Carmilla turn the corner at end of the hallway and then proceeded towards the opposite wing where her own room was.

            As she looked around, her room was feeling less of a prison and more like… something else. She couldn’t put her finger on it. This past few days felt like months, but not in a bad way.

            She headed straight for the bathroom, never really paying attention to it before now.

            It was excessively large. The bath tub in the center of the room was more like a hot tub with jets and the shower was encased in glass, big enough to fit a bench and then some. There was a large window at the end of the bathroom that overlooked the castle grounds and the mountains.

            There sink counter was white marble and was at least ten feet long, stopping next to the toilet. There was more storage in this bathroom than Laura had in her room and bathroom combined back at her own apartment.

            It was incredible how the castle continued to amaze her and even though it was slowly falling apart, it still adapted to the different times that Carmilla lived through.

            She turned the shower on, setting it to a nice hot temperature. As she stripped her clothes off, she could feel like steam from the shower starting to warm her up further.

            The hot water burned against her cold skin, but she welcomed it and let it envelope her. It felt really good after sitting in the cold almost all afternoon.

            After washing her hair and everything on her body, she didn’t want to leave the warm shower. It was comfortable, but then the thought of seeing Carmilla again warmed her chest even more. It was enough for her to shut off the shower and get ready for dinner.

            She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped back into her bedroom. Elise wasn’t around at the moment, so she started shuffling through the closet. It was full of so many different clothes, all in her size. She didn’t know what to wear tonight and started feeling self-conscious about it.

            She decided that she wanted to look nice for dinner, but she didn’t want to look like she was trying to look. An effortless, casual nice outfit. How hard could that be?

            Apparently, fairly hard. The sun was practically set now, and Laura didn’t want to be late to dinner. She settled on a nice pair of jeans with a white blouse that showed off some of her midriff. It was a simple outfit but looked good against her figure.

            Shoes was the next problem. She didn’t like wearing heels and that would look like she was trying too hard. She grabbed a pair of high-top converses and thought that would be good enough.

            She went back to the bathroom to put some lotion on her face, dried her hair and brushed it through. She stared at her own face in the mirror, wondering what she was doing and why she was doing this.

            The thought of having dinner with Carmilla made her smile. It was a huge one-eighty from rejecting Carmilla’s dinner invitation three nights ago. Laura couldn’t believe that it was only three nights ago that she got here.

            Then she remembered the promise to her father that she would return to him. Although Laura had grown to like Carmilla, she was still a prisoner here. It didn’t feel like it though anymore. She would hold her promise to her father that she will get back to him, but she just didn’t know when that was going to be.

            Carmilla seemed kinder now and perhaps she could bring up the possibility of returning to town. She didn’t want to leave Carmilla by herself so she would promise to return to visit. She wanted to be Carmilla’s… friend, but they could never really be friends or anything other than a captor and prisoner unless Carmilla would willingly let her go.

            That’s what she would work towards. Trust. It didn’t seem that Carmilla had enough of it in her life. First her stepmother and then the curse that changed her life.

            She wouldn’t leave Carmilla by herself, but if it came down to it, she couldn’t stay here forever. She had things to do and see. She had to take care of her father, finish school and there was also her dream of traveling the world.

            But Carmilla was an unseen… circumstance. Something had changed in their relationship over the past day or so. Laura couldn’t pin point what it was, but she knew that something was different from when they first met.

            Laura tore her eyes from her reflection. She couldn’t believe that she was catching feelings for her captor- nope. She was not catching feelings. She couldn’t be, but she couldn’t lie to herself.

            It wasn’t like Carmilla was manipulating her. She seemed completely genuine around her. None of was rehearsed or planned out. She could tell it was all genuine and that it was not a game.

            Laura knew what it was like to be manipulated and this didn’t feel like that at all. People in the town and especially Danny, tried to manipulate her all the time. They tried to get her to see things their way, the town’s way. This was different.

            She shook her head at herself and exited the bathroom. Carmilla was probably already waiting for her in the dining hall.

            Elise had returned to the room and it looked like she was smiling when she saw Laura.

            “Laura, dear,” Elise exclaimed. “You look beautiful! Are you going to dinner?”

            “I am headed there right now,” Laura replied.

            “Oh wonderful! Her majesty wouldn’t stop talking Will’s ear off about her day today, particularly about you.”

            Laura blushed and smiled at the wardrobe. Carmilla talking to Will must be a good sign. Hopefully, Carmilla had enjoyed their time together as much as Laura did.

            “I’m sure she just hasn’t had a fun day with someone in a while,” Laura tried to explain. “It could’ve been anyone of you too.”

            “Oh no dear,” Elise laughed. “Her majesty hasn’t had “fun” in centuries, especially not with us. You’re different darling.”

            Laura shook her head but decided that Elise would just keep insisting if she kept arguing.

            “I should get going,” Laura quickly said and exited her room.

            Elise replied with something, but Laura shut the door before she could hear what it was. It was embarrassing the way the staff talked about her sometimes. They really were really enthusiastic about Carmilla having someone to hang out with.

            She wasn’t sure if it was that they wanted her to be happy or if they just wanted to get her off their back or if it was something else. They all seemed to be rather… secretly encouraging about it all. Even though it was anything but subtle.

            Laura made her way down the stairs and into the dining hall. Like she suspected, Carmilla was already there, sitting in her seat with a book open on the table.

            When she saw her, she quickly stood up and smiled at her. She came out from the chair and greeted Laura with a smile, offering her hand out.

            “Hey there creampuff.”

            A little confused, she smiled back.

            “Hi,” Laura squeaked as she took her hand. She started feeling nervous all of sudden and she didn’t know why. This was just another dinner with Carmilla. It’s not like they haven’t done this before.

            Carmilla guided Laura to her seat, waving Kirsch away who looked like he was ready to help Laura. She pulled out the chair and politely gestured for Laura to take a seat. She gently pushed it in as Laura sat down.

            “Such a gentlewoman,” Laura joked.

            “I always try to be in the presence of a beautiful woman,” Carmilla smirked.

            Her attempt to fluster Carmilla was now turned on her as she was now the one who was flustered. Recently, Carmilla seemed to fluster her without even trying.

            Carmilla took her seat once again.

            Laura was about to ask her what she was reading when the kitchen doors opened, and a slew of the house staff came out it.

            “Dinner is served,” JP called out.

            “How good to see you again Laura,” LaFontaine smiled like they knew a secret. “I heard that you had an adventurous day today.”

            “LaFontaine,” Will chided. “Leave the girl alone. Hello, Laura.”

            “Gentleman, can you not argue for once in your life?” Perry asked nicely.

            “So sorry about them,” Kirsch whispered to her.

            Laura laughed at the sight of them. JP was trying not to trip over the rest of them as he made his way to the table, LaFontaine and Will were bickering with Perry trying to calm them down and Kirsch was just shaking his head next to her.

            “Hello everyone,” Laura said loud enough to interrupt the bickering.

            “I have prepared a creamy garlic Tuscan salmon with spinach and dried tomatoes for you my lady,” JP said as he placed the dish in front of her.

            It looked absolutely delicious. Laura couldn’t wait to eat it.

            “Thanks JP,” Laura said as the staff walked to the other side of the table.

            He handed Carmilla a large glass of what Laura could only assume was blood. Probably for her sake, the glass was not see-through.

            The staff spoke to Carmilla softly and she could not hear them. Carmilla looked annoyed and then waved her hand at them, effectively making them wander back into the kitchen, leaving them alone.

            As Laura chowed down on her food and Carmilla sipped on hers, reading whatever book she had in front of her, they made comfortable small talk. They talked and laughed about their time outside today. Laura shared stories about ice skating as a child which led to more stories about her childhood and her family.

            Carmilla sat and listened silently to her as she rattled on.

            “I miss my mom a lot,” Laura suddenly said as she finished a story about her and her parents at the lake. “I don’t have too many memories of her, but what I do remember, she was warm and kind.”

            “What happened,” Carmilla asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

            Laura looked up at her.

            “She died of lung cancer when I was young,” Laura answered. “She didn’t smoke or doing anything of that sort a day in her life and she died of lung cancer. The doctors don’t know how she got it. I could’ve been a number of things because my parents liked to travel a lot before I came along.”

            Laura didn’t know why, but she felt very comfortable telling Carmilla this. She hardly ever talked about her mom to anyone. It was a sore subject, but she felt okay with telling Carmilla all about it.

            “I never knew my mom,” Carmilla stated.

            Laura looked up at her in surprise. This was the first time that she heard anything about Carmilla’s mother. She heard all about her father and her stepmother, but nothing about her biological mother.

            “She died shortly after giving birth to Will,” she continued. “I don’t remember her at all. I never knew why or how she died. No one ever told me. My father didn’t talk about it. No one did.”

            Laura didn’t say anything in fear of interrupting her and causing her to become self-conscious about telling her all this.

            “My father married my stepmother shortly after her death, she’s the only mother figure I’ve ever had in my life. I wish I knew what my real mother was like, or even what she looked like. Apparently after the marriage, my stepmother got rid of all the portraits of my mother. My father did nothing about it either. He was too lost in his grief.

            “When he came out of it though, he was a more attentive father, a better king to our people. He mostly ignored my stepmother as their marriage was an arrangement for a trade and war advantage for our people. They hardly ever talked except at dinner.”

            Laura was still silent. She wasn’t sure what to say. It was so much different after her father had died. He hadn’t remarried or even try to remarry. It just never interested him. Laura had to remind herself that Carmilla had grown up in a completely different time.

            “So, my stepmother started taking a huge interest in me as the oldest child,” Carmilla continued. “Taught me everything. Taught me the wrong thing that led me to be the opposite kind of leader that my father wanted me to be. It put me in the situation I am today.

            “I’m not blaming my stepmother for all of this,” Carmilla gestured to her appearance and the castle. “I know that I should have been stronger for my father. I should have known better and become the leader that he was… But I didn’t.”

            “Carm,” Laura said softly. She wished that she could reach out and grab her, comfort her. “You were just a child. You couldn’t have known better. Your stepmother sounds like a raging b-bad person.”

            Carmilla didn’t answer. Not even a hint of a smile from Laura almost calling her stepmother a bitch. Silence filled the room. It didn’t seem that Carmilla believed the words that Laura stated. She blames herself for the curse. In some retrospect, sure maybe she should have known better, but in all reality, she was just a child, taught the wrong things.

            “It’s all well in the past now,” Carmilla broke the uncomfortable silence. “Very well in the past and there’s nothing to do about it now.”

            “Nothing?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla didn’t answer. That was one thing that Laura didn’t believe. There had to be a way to break the curse, but no one in the castle would tell her how it was done. There had been a few mentions of breaking the curse, but not about how. Being able to do “nothing” about it had to be a lie. She wanted to help, but they didn’t seem too keen on telling her about it.

            “Carm,” Laura said again. “I want to help you break this curse. There has to be a way.”

            “There isn’t,” Carmilla growled.

            Laura was slightly taken aback by the growl. She really couldn’t understand what the big deal was. All she wanted to do was help and Carmilla was getting angry about it. She should welcome the help. Laura knew that she didn’t want to stay as a beast, immortal, lonely forever.

            Carmilla was lying to her and she didn’t know why she was.

            “I just want to help, the staff has always told me not to worry about it, but the way they talk about it makes it sound like there is,” Laura tried calmly and sweetly.

            Carmilla flashed a look of anger at Laura and she knew that she was losing her. Laura had gotten her to open up a little bit and now it had gone a bit far. Carmilla was closing up.

            “There isn’t a way,” Carmilla said raising her voice to a low roar. “Just forget it.”

            “Fine, don’t accept my help and remain like you are forever,” Laura said bitterly, immediately regretting her annoyance get the better of her.

            She hadn’t meant to say it like that. She hadn’t meant to say it all, but she was annoyed with Carmilla for getting angry at her for wanting to help.

            “You’re a child and you understand nothing,” Carmilla growled out of her clenched teeth. “Not about life, not about this place, and certainly not about what it takes to survive in a world- you know what the sooner you stop asking questions the better off you’ll be.”

            “Stop asking questions? I just want to help.” Laura kept her voice level and steady, not wanting to meet her anger with more anger.

            “I don’t want you’re help!  You’re a child- an ignorant, small child who cannot even begin to understand anything about this world, so stop acting like you do.”

            Laura gave Carmilla a hard stare. Neither of them made a move to leave the table.

            She just wanted to get it in Carmilla’s head that she didn’t have to go through this alone. She wasn’t alone, she had her staff and she had Laura… Did she have Laura though?

            Laura contemplated this for a moment. She was still here by force, so she really didn’t have her in a complete capacity and maybe Carmilla knew that. It didn’t give her an excuse to be an asshole about it though.

            Sure, she was much much younger than Carmilla and sure, she had never left the city of Silas before, but she had to believe that there was good out there in the world. Good that could help Carmilla return to what she once used to be. Good that could change the people of the castle back into humans.

            “No,” Laura stated staring Carmilla dead in the eye.

            “What?” Carmilla asked. Her voice was a combination of surprise and anger.

            “Maybe you’re right, I am a child,” Laura spoke confidently. “A child who has never left the city limits- who thought that nothing bad could actually ever happen.

“Turns out the world isn’t what I thought it was. There’s magic in the world, actual magic. Magic that transformed you and all the people in this place into something less than human. That’s new to me and maybe there’s more magic in the world than just around here. This bad magic or whatever you want to call it changed you into this, but I have to believe that there’s good magic out there too. I refuse to believe that the world is just full of bad. I deserve a better world; the people here deserve better… you deserve better.”

            Carmilla’s face turned to surprise, confusion then softened and then hardened again. Without another word, she quickly shot up from her chair.

            Laura watched her movements. They weren’t sharp and quick like they normally were when she was angry. They were methodical and calculated. Laura had never seen this before, she didn’t know what it could possibly mean.

            At the dining hall door, Carmilla glanced back at Laura, looking into her eyes.

            Laura couldn’t read her. She didn’t know if she was still hurt or angry. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but then she closed it. She exited through door, but didn’t slam it shut. She just slipped quickly through the crack.

            Laura was now alone in the dining room, her plate still unfinished.

Chapter Text

            Carmilla opened her eyes at the little light that shone through the cracks in the wooden paneling.

            She wasn’t sure how long Mother had kept in her there. It could’ve been hours and Carmilla wouldn’t have known. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. She had to at least been there through the night.

            She lifted her hands slightly, feeling the wooden paneling only about two feet above her. The confines of the space allowed her to sit up slightly, but it was much more uncomfortable than lying down against the dirt underneath her.

            Her stomach rumbled again, signaling her need for food. She needed to get out here. Mother had been keeping her in here longer and longer as she got older. How much longer she would be kept in here, she didn’t know.

            The wooden paneling in front of her looked like it was getting closer and closer. Out of the corners of her eyes she was the dirt walls getting closer to her as well. The walls were closing in.

            It couldn’t have been real; the walls had never moved before while she was in here. Her mind to be playing tricks on her, but it didn’t seem to matter. Her body was betraying her.

            It felt like the air from the room was being sucked out as the walls grew closer to her. The air didn’t feel like it was reaching her lungs, she could barely breath. Her lungs felt like they were burning. She needed to get out, she needed air.

.           Carmilla mustered as much energy as she could and started banging on the door with her fists. She sucked in as much air as she could.

            “Get me out of here!” She screamed. “Let me out! I can’t breathe!”

            She hit her fists against the door, feeling like her efforts were useless. No one was there. Even if there was no one was going to help her. Mother wouldn’t allow it.

            “Someone… please…” she barely managed to wheeze out. Her breathe was getting shallow. Darkness started to close in around her vision, feeling her body shutting down.

            Her fist movements against the wood slowed and then stopped. She was going to die in this dirt hole.

            Her muscles felt like dead weight and water started dripping down the sides of her face. She could barely see anything in her vision.

            Then a sudden light flooded what she had left of her vision.

            Carmilla shielded the light from her eyes. When they adjusted, she could see that someone had opened the floor door. She opened up her mouth and took a large breath of fresh air. She took too much at once, choking on air causing her to cough hysterically.

            In the midst of her coughing fit, she looked up through the light. A small hand was stretched out in front of her. She reached up and grabbed it.

            Carmilla fell over to her knees, still coughing, trying to control her breathing.

            She heard a voice say something and then felt a hand pat her back. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, her ears were ringing, throat burning, and her eyes were still adjusting to the light.

            “Sissy, did you hear me,” she heard a young, familiar voice say. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

            Carmilla finally sat up on her knees and turned towards the voice. Will was standing there with his winning, innocent smile

            “Will? What are you doing?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

            “It’s breakfast time,” he said matter-of-factly. “I was trying to find you in your room, but Miss Perry said that you were playing hide-and-seek and that I had to find you.”

            Carmilla managed to give him a small smile. The only person in the castle who could get away with defying Mother and he didn’t even know that he was doing it.

            She couldn’t let him know that and he wouldn’t even begin to understand. Mother would blame her for his defiance. It would be alright though. It was better that it was her rather than him.

            “Will… You got me,” she sighed. “I can’t hide from you.”

            “No, you can’t!” he yelled excitedly.

            Carmilla finally was able to breathe normally and brought herself to her feet. She was so grateful for her little brother.

            “Let’s go grab breakfast,” Carmilla smiled and grabbed her little brother’s hand.

            They started walking from the kitchen to the dining hall.

            “Then can we play some more games after breakfast?” Will asked hopefully.

            Carmilla frowned. Assuming that it was a normal day, Mother probably had her day planned out already. More lessons… That was also assuming that Mother was planning to let her out sometime soon.

            She dropped down onto one know in front of Will to meet his eyeline. He was so young and full of child innocence.

            “If Mother doesn’t have anything scheduled, we can play,” Carmilla held both of his hands. “But she might have something scheduled for me.”

            “But Mother allwwaaayys has plans for you and you never get to play with me anymore,” Will whined. “I just wanna plllaaayyy.”

            Carmilla sighed and brushed his medium length hair out of his face.

            “I’ll make you a deal,” she smiled at him. “If you promise not to disturb Mother or interrupt her plans, I’ll find some time to play with you for the next few days, okay?”

            Carmilla sighed and brushed his hair.

            Will manifested a large smile on his face.

            “Yes!” Will said, nodding his head frantically.

            In his excitement, Will had forgotten to let Carmilla get up before dragging her by a hand out of the kitchen.

            “Let’s get to Mother faster so that we can play faster,” he giggled as Carmilla almost tripped.

            Will almost made her forget about the dark, small space underneath the kitchen.

            Carmilla smiled at the memory of young Will. He didn’t spend enough time being a child in his childhood. After their father died, he grew up rather quickly. He took up sword and diplomatic training. Mother had planned to use him eventually, to marry him off and gain land and gold for their kingdom. It made him become very aware of Mother’s cold and demanding personality.

            If he wasn’t training, he was doing his best to distract Mother’s attention from Carmilla. He tried to be a good younger brother and protect her. However, it was Carmilla that wanted their stepmother’s attention.

            At first, it was to divert her attention away from Will, but somewhere along the way it turned into something else.

He spent most of his time learning to fight and trying to protect Carmilla from their stepmother whereas she started to yearn for Mother’s attention and approval. Eventually, she turned into something else- someone else. As she took more power of the throne, she needed her Mother’s approval less and less. The approval she looked for was her own.

She hated what she had turned into. She hated what Mother had turned her into. Her thirst for power and wealth grew just as Mother had taught her too. She began to enjoy the fame and power that she once tried to reject.

Everything her father had taught her… She had forgotten it all- how respect stemmed from a balance of kindness and mercy with a heavy hand. He taught her about how much the people of Silas mattered to the kingdom because without them, they had no kingdom.

By the time she had come of age, all of that was forgotten, replaced with her stepmother’s teachings.

            It was all her fault. She should’ve stood by her father and his words. She should’ve been stronger than her stepmother. Her father had taught her how to be strong. Just another thing that faded from her mind after he died.

            Laura couldn’t understand that. She would never be able too.

            It was amazing that she tried to see the best in people and see the best in bad situations. It may be a little naïve, but it was incredibly beautiful the way she tried.

            Carmilla felt bad for snapping at Laura during dinner. She knew that she was wrong about doing that. It had been herself that she was mad at.

            Laura had made it clear that she wanted to help, but Carmilla didn’t want to burden her with the curse anymore than anyone else was.

            She had to admit that she liked the young girl. Telling her how the curse was to be broken would only put more a rift in between them. Laura was young and curious, if she knew how the curse was broken… she would either run away from Carmilla or really try to help break it. Carmilla didn’t want either of those scenarios.

            If there was any chance of Carmilla falling in love, some falling in love with her- more particularly- she didn’t want it to feel fake or overtly tried. It all calculated to the conclusion that it would never happen for her.

            Even if Carmilla was falling for the young girl, it was a feeling that Laura could never return. Carmilla was sure of that. She was a beast, an ugly thing that had roared and growled at constantly. A beautiful, sweet girl like Laura would never develop feelings for her.

            For the first time in a long time, she felt the need to apologize to Laura and try to make up for her outburst. She had dealt with the conversation immaturely while Laura had remained calm and mature. If anything, she had more of child-like during their last conversation.

            And the thing that she heard come out Laura’s mouth… It had surprised her; the way Laura had spoken to her after her outburst.

            “…you deserve better,” is what she had said. Laura believed that Carmilla deserved better than the hand that she had been dealt. No one believed in her like that, she didn’t even believe in herself like that. It had given pause to Carmilla after that. She couldn’t believe that someone out there thought she deserved a better world.

            Laura was something else.

            Carmilla pushed open the kitchen doors, it was early in the morning and everything was quiet. The only person in the room was JP, slumbering in the corner of the kitchen. She was always jealous that they all could sleep, and she could not despite them living as normally inanimate objects.

            “JP,” Carmilla spoke loudly, knocking on the top of stove to wake him up.

            With a rustle of the oven door and snort, the stove woke up.

            “M-m-master,” JP stuttered in surprise. “Did I oversleep? Do you need your breakfast? I apologize, I can get it to you right away if you g-“

            Carmilla waved her hand for him to shut up and he immediately stopped.

            “It’s much earlier than usual,” Carmilla replied. “I just wanted to get here with enough time before Laura woke up.”

            “Enough time for what,” JP asked. “If you don’t mind me asking, your majesty.”

            Carmilla looked down and her hands which seemed to have a mind of their own. She was rubbing her fingers against her knuckles, an old habit of hers that she used to do when she was nervous about asking for help. Mother had used her lessons to “urge” Carmilla to get rid of that nervous tick. It had been many, many years since she last did it.

            “I wanted to surprise Laura with breakfast to her room this morning, rather than having her come down her today.”

            “Ahhh, very romantic Master,” JP commented.

            Carmilla growled.

            “I’m not trying to be romantic,” Carmilla lied to JP and herself. “It’s a gesture. I may have said something unsavory at dinner last night. I want to make it up to her.”

            “So an apology then?” JP asked as he whipped around the kitchen.

            “No,” Carmilla lied again.

            It would be a cold day in hell before Carmilla admitted to her staff that she was willing to apologize for something.

            “Well,” JP said after a moment. “I should have her breakfast ready momentarily and then I can bring it up to her if you would like.”

            “No,” Carmilla said again. “I can bring it to her myself.”

            JP dropped a utensil on the ground.

            “Yourself?” JP asked in surprise.

            Carmilla nodded and then JP continued to cook the food. She didn’t say another word to him, but watched JP work on Laura’s breakfast.

            She had never taken an interest in cooking before. Their family had always had chefs to do it and when she tried to learn, Mother had told her that learning how to cook was not for royalty. Now, she had no need for food. Blood was all she needed.

            However, standing and waiting for the food right now, she couldn’t help but be curious about what JP was doing.

            “How exactly are you cooking right now?”

            JP paused for a moment, expression unreadable.

            “Well,” JP continued moving about in the kitchen. “Laura seems to have a real sweet tooth, I guess it’s a good thing she does a lot of yoga.”

            “Yoga?” Carmilla asked.

            “It’s an exercise thing,” JP explained. “A lot of… stretching and stuff. I don’t know the specifics of it.”

            Carmilla nodded her head. Exercise was not something she was particularly familiar with. The only time she would get some back in her day was when she would secretly sword train with Will during her free time.

            “As I was saying, she has a real sweet tooth, so I always try to include a little something extra with her breakfast. Today I’ve decided to go with a simple pancake recipe with a small side of eggs and bacon. Nothing too fancy.”

            “Hmmm…” Carmilla hovered over the counter at all the ingredients on the table, picking up a whisk. “And you mix with this?”

            “Yes, your majesty.”

            Carmilla held this whisk in her hand and made a small circular motion with it. Cooking had never really interested her before today.

            JP cleared his throat.

            “If you would like,” JP said cautiously. “to mix the pancake batter while I cook up the eggs and bacon, you can do that.”

            “Why would I want to do that?” Carmilla asked quickly putting the whisk back down.

            She couldn’t deny that she really did want to help. It would be a nicer gesture for Laura, but the royalty in her… Mother’s way… her mind was telling her that it was servant’s work. However, it was catching her interest.

            “I do not mean to offend, your majesty,” JP said quickly. “It just looked- well- you just seem a little interested in it.”

            Carmilla considered this for a moment. Mother would probably lose her head if she found out that Carmilla was in the kitchen. She would kill over if she found her in the kitchen helping the help. The thought almost made Carmilla laugh.

            Mother wasn’t around though.

            “I will mix the batter,” Carmilla decided, feeling a little rebellious against her stepmother’s wishes.

            If she was going to be a better person, she might as well start by trying to right Mother’s lessons that she felt somewhat wrong.

            JP handed her a bowl full of a thick, soupy liquid.

            She wasn’t sure what she was doing but mixing it couldn’t be that hard. She shoved the whisk into the bowl and started stirring the batter rather vigorously.

            “Gentle, your majesty,” JP said as he placed eggs and bacon on the hot stove. “No need to kill it. Just slow and gentle, mix it all in there. Going too fast my also cause the batter to fly everywhere and create a large mess.”

            Carmilla nodded and slowed her efforts.

            After JP concluded that the batter was mixed enough, he was finished with the eggs and bacon. He set them on a plate and started to pour the batter onto the stove, creating circles with it. Carmilla watched his closely as he worked.

            “The key is the temperature of the stove,” JP told her. “Too hot and the outside of the pancake will burn while the inside will still be uncooked. Not enough temperature and it will take much longer for the pancakes to cook. At the right temperature, the pancake will cook evenly, and it will create a nice fluffy texture to it.”

            Carmilla smiled as JP took the pan, throwing it with a quick jerk up, causing the pancake to flip and then land right back onto its other side on the pan.

            “Neat trick,” Carmilla smirked. “Can’t be that hard to do.”

            JP let out a small laugh.

            “Would you like to give it a shot, your majesty?” JP challenged her.

            Carmilla scoffed and placed herself in front of the stove top. She grabbed the handle of the pan, imitating JP’s movements. However, she miscalculated the strength she needed for the flip, sending the pancake up and sticking to the ceiling.

            She heard JP laugh as she stared at the thing and she turned towards him.

            He stopped laughing as soon as he met her eyes, looking a little terrified. It was a look that she got often from her staff.

            “I think I underestimated my strength there,” Carmilla said to him with a large laugh.

            JP continued with his laugh, a sounding little confused. He returned to cooking the pancakes.

            When he finished, he handed the plate to Carmilla and also a glass full of orange juice. It was perfect timing too. She could hear Laura starting to stir in her bedroom.

            “Thank you for your help, your majesty,” JP said adding a fork and knife onto the plate. “I’m sure the lovely Laura will enjoy the sentiment.”

            “No,” Carmilla said genuinely. “Thank you for your help JP.”

            JP looked flabbergasted at her. Probably a little taken aback by her thanks.

            Carmilla realized that it wasn’t something she said to her staff very often. In fact, she hardly said it all even before the curse was enacted. She had been so focused on her own suffering that she often forgot about her staff’s. They were trapped in the same situation as she was. It was another thing that she learned from Mother. No need to thank that staff if they were just doing their jobs. She was realizing that it was the little things like that that earned people’s respect for her. It was the opposite of what Mother had taught her.

            As Carmilla headed out the door, she heard JP mumble something under his breath. It sounded a little like “My God, that girl is really something”. Carmilla didn’t know what he was talking about, but she knew it wasn’t about herself.

            When Carmilla got to Laura’s door, she suddenly felt very nervous. She didn’t know why. She just hoped that Laura liked the breakfast and would forgive her for her immature outburst last night. It was a conversation that ran through her mind all night. She felt… guilty about it. Another emotion that her stepmother deemed unbecoming of a ruler. It was another emotion that she hadn’t felt in years.

            She balanced the plate and glass on one arm, reaching with her other arm to knock on the door. Before she could get a chance to, the door swung open and if it weren’t for her incredible reflexes, Laura would’ve run right into her and the breakfast would’ve spilled all over the floor. Carmilla whipped to the side, balancing the breakfast on her arm without spilling it.

            “Carm!” Laura said with surprise.

            Carmilla smiled sheepishly. At least Laura was referring to her by the nickname that she had given her, that was a good start. It was like she forgot about their fight last night for a moment. She cleared her throat.

            “Good morning, Laura. I- uhhh… I brought you breakfast in bed,” Carmilla held out the plate and glass in front of her.

            “Oh,” Laura said with surprise. “That’s great. I was just about to go down, but now it looks like I don’t have too.”

            Laura held the door open for her, a silent invitation for her to enter the room.

            In all her years in the castle, she had never visited this room. She hardly ever walked around the east wing anymore. Most of her time was spent, pacing and seething in anger, watching the rose wilt in her own room.

            She walked over to the coffee table and saw some papers and books laid out on it.

            “Your studies?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura had sat herself down on her bed, watching Carmilla as she moved about the room.

            “Yes, it seems that the castle still believes education is important. I am somehow managing to keep up with all my classes even with… being away.”

            Carmilla tore her eyes from the books and walked over to Laura. She handed her the plate and set the glass on the bedside table.

            “Thank you,” Laura said softly, but also curtly. She was probably still upset over their dinner last night and Carmilla couldn’t blame her. “Did you make this?”

            Carmilla chuckled.

            “No cutie, but I did mix the pancake batter.”

            “You did?” Laura asked surprised.

            Carmilla nodded her head as Laura took a large bite of the pancake.

            “Well,” she said after swallowing it. “It tastes like you did a lovely job of mixing the batter. I approve of it, Chef Carmilla.”

            They both laughed for a moment and then it died down to an uncomfortable silence. It was like they were both slowly tuning into the same tone that was set when they had left dinner last night. Carmilla was starting to feel fidgety. She didn’t like it.

            As Laura ate to fill it, Carmilla was contemplating what to say. She had been so curious about cooking and then nervous about being in here that she didn’t take the time to think about what to say when she actually got here.

            Carmilla bit the inside of her own cheek and then turned around. Either she could leave Laura to her breakfast, or she could say what she had come here to say. It was going against her nature to apologize and her feet and brain were urging her to leave. However, she knew that she had to talk to Laura. She couldn’t just let the silence fill, but she couldn’t figure out what to say. She had to say something, anything to Laura right now. She needed to fight the instincts that had built into her since childhood.

            “I’m sorry,” Carmilla let out quickly. She had said it so quick that she couldn’t believe it actually came out of her own mouth.

            “Huh?” Laura stopped eating.

            Carmilla turned back around and saw that Laura was looking at her.

            “I’m sorry,” Carmilla repeated. “About dinner last night. I didn’t mean what I said.”

            Laura just nodded her head and then continued to eat.

            Carmilla hated that she couldn’t know what was going on in Laura’s head. A part of her wanted to be mad that Laura wasn’t properly acknowledging her apology. There was no response to words Carmilla hadn’t spoken since the day she had spoken them to the enchantress. Laura couldn’t have known that though. Carmilla knew that she had every right to be mad. She had no reason to forgive her. Breakfast in bed and two little words wasn’t near enough. Maybe, she didn’t deserve to be forgiven.

            “I was angry at myself, about the curse and it came out directed towards you,” Carmilla continued when Laura didn’t speak. “It was wrong of me to do that. I was the one acting like a child when I said that. It wasn’t right of me to say what I did and take my anger out on you.”

            Laura stopped eating again and looked up. Honey brown eyes met chocolate ones. In that moment, Carmilla knew that she didn’t deserve to be forgiven by her. Laura was too sweet, and she didn’t deserve to be treated the way that she had treated her. She was the opposite of what Carmilla was.

            “I’m not going to lie to you Carm,” Laura stated. “It really hurt when you said that. Redirecting anger like that onto me was… not great.”

            Carmilla winced a little. She felt like she was being slightly reprimanded, something that no one except Mother had done to her since she was a child. Anyone else and they would have ended up smashed on the floor, but this was Laura. For some reason she felt okay with it. She felt that she deserved it. It was her fault after all.

            “Your anger towards your past doesn’t excuse what you said… But I forgive you,” Laura added.

            Carmilla looked deeply into her eyes. Laura was forgiving her. She felt relief for a moment, but then it came crashing back down. Laura was too kind to her. She didn’t deserve it.

            “You do? Why?”

            “Because I believe in you,” Laura said matter-of-factly. “I see you and I know that you really didn’t mean it. Also, the fact that you went into the kitchen and asked for help, then helped JP with this breakfast… You’re a different person than what you act like.”

            Laura placed the plate down on the bedside table and approached Carmilla. She came within inches of her own face, Laura’s hand caressing her jawline.

            “I see you,” Laura spoke quietly. “You’re not the beast you’re made out to be.”

            Carmilla watched Laura’s eyes flit down to her lips. For a moment, she saw something flash in Laura’s eyes. She couldn’t decipher what it was. But, Carmilla’s eyes mirrored hers as she looked down at Laura’s lips. She could feel the heat coming from Laura’s breath. Laura’s heart was beating rather quickly. She could take one step forward and…

            Laura took a step back, putting some a respectful amount of space between them and taking her hand off Carmilla’s face. Carmilla almost whined at the loss of her touch. It took everything in her to respect the space that Laura had placed between them.

            “I’m sorry too Carm,” Laura told her. “I pushed you too far about something super personal to you. I shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t my place. Just know that you don’t have to carry the burden of the curse yourself. You have the staff to help you out and…”

            She paused for a moment and looked down at the ground.

            “I will offer whatever help I can,” Laura stated.

            There was something unspoken there. It was like she wanted to say something different but didn’t. Carmilla was too wrapped up the fact that Laura was apologizing to her to really notice it. She didn’t believe that Laura needed give her an apology. Her jaw practically dropped to the floor, but Mother had taught her well enough to keep her mouth shut during such situations.

            “Laura,” Carmilla said breathlessly. “You really- you don’t- It’s okay. You just want to help. You shouldn’t apologize for that.”

            “That’s not what I’m sorry for,” Laura insisted. “I’m sorry for being pushy about personal things. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own curiosity, it can get the better of me. So, just accept it. Please.”

            Laura threw a pout in her direction. It was so cute that Carmilla couldn’t say no to her.

            “Fine,” Carmilla gave in. “I accept your apology and forgive you.”

            Carmilla said that words, but she still didn’t think that Laura needed to apologize for anything. She was being too nice about the whole situation. Carmilla kept telling herself that she didn’t deserve Laura in her life. Laura was different from anyone that she had ever met. She had to wonder what it would’ve been like if they had met back before the curse.

            “Hmm… I don’t know if you mean that,” Laura joked.

            “Well, what can I do to prove to you that I mean it cupcake?”

            In that moment, Carmilla would have given her anything that she asked for. If it had been to let her see the magic rose again, she would have let her. If she had asked for a rose in the garden, Carmilla would’ve given it to her. If Laura asked if she could leave the castle and go home… Carmilla would have let her go.

            Laura didn’t ask for any of those things though.

            “Just be at dinner tonight,” Laura said simply. “Then help me make a dessert.”

            “That’s just not fair,” Carmilla whined jokingly. “You know that I can’t really taste food. It’ll just taste like rotten milk to me. At least what I think rotten milk tastes like. Why make something I can’t eat?”

            “Because I can,” Laura sung out. “And it tastes wonderful.”

            Laura paused and looked at her apologetically.

            “I didn’t mean any offense by that Carm-“

            “It’s alright creampuff,” Carmilla stopped her. “I can joke about it. I don’t mind that you joke about it. You… I know that you would never mean anything hurtful.”

            Carmilla believed every word that came out of her mouth. She really didn’t find Laura’s words offensive at all. If she had, she would have said something. Laura didn’t joke about it like Carmilla was a terrible monster. She joked about it like she had accepted that it was a part of Carmilla and that she accepted Carmilla for who she was. Yeah, she really didn’t deserve this girl in her life. She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

            Laura smiled at her.

            “What if LaF said it?”

            “First off,” Carmilla frowned. “They can’t taste anything at all so it wouldn’t work. Secondly, I would probably melt their own wax around them, sticking them to dining, unable to move.”

            Laura raised her eyebrows.

            “Carm,” she raised her voice, but was smiling. “That’s horrible!”

            “Only joking cupcake,” Carmilla smiled back. “Kind of. It really wouldn’t be that bad, they love the dining room. I’d leave their hands free too. What else are they going? They haven’t done anything new in the past decade or so.”

            Laura swatted her arm then crossed them in front of her. She was trying to put on her best serious face, which only made Carmilla want to laugh. It was too cute.

            “No sticking LaF to the dining table with their own candle wax.”

            Carmilla held up her hands defensively. Laura’s face was too cute in the moment for Carmilla to argue with her.

            “Alright I won’t do that to LaFontaine…”

            Laura nodded in victory.

            “In this decade,” Carmilla added on quickly.

            “Carm!” Laura swatted her other arm this time.

            Laura’s swats felt like a fly landing on her arm, but she wasn’t about to tell her that. She just laughed with Laura. She wasn’t really joking about sticking LaFontaine to the dining table, but in all fairness, they really didn’t mind it. However, she had told Laura that she wouldn’t do it in this decade, and she was a woman of her word.

            Their laughter died down and they sat for a moment in awkward silence. Carmilla was unsure of what to say, but maybe this was her cue to leave Laura to her food and books.

            “Well,” Carmilla said. “I will leave you to your breakfast and your studies. Ummm.. Please let me know if there is anything else that you need. I will probably be in the library or the garden today.”

            Carmilla was just about to turn around and leave, but a warm pair of arms enveloped her. Laura was hugging her. She rested her head gently on Carmilla’s shoulder.

            It was such a foreign feeling to her. Even before the curse, Will was the only one that ever hugged her. It became less and less often as they got older until it was only a biannual thing.

            Since the curse, she hadn’t been gently touched like this by another human being. It was the first time in almost two hundred and sixty years that someone had given her this type of contact. Her brain was short-circuiting. She couldn’t think.

            Luckily her arms thought for her, wrapping themselves around Laura and hugging her back. She was warm. She was the sun and Carmilla was beginning to revolve around her.

            “Thanks for breakfast Carm,” Laura whispered in her ear.

            Laura squeezed a little tighter and lightly moved her head into the crook of Carmilla’s neck. She was the closest she had ever gotten. Carmilla’s brain still wasn’t working. Laura was all that she could think about.

            Carmilla had never let herself smell Laura. She didn’t want to add another thing to the list of things that came to mind when she thought of Laura. However, she was so close that Carmilla couldn’t not smell her.

            She guessed that if sunshine had a smell, it would be Laura. It was like… the beach and ocean waves. It was sweet and sensual. It was so unique. Even when Carmilla had visited town a few times many, many years ago she had never smelled anything like this.

            Laura’s heartbeat was getting louder in her ears. It was still quick, pumping all the blood in her body. The natural smell of Laura was now starting to be replaced by something sweeter that made her mouth water.

            Carmilla realized that she hadn’t had her breakfast yet and became very aware of the rising thirst. She needed to sate it sooner rather than later and she couldn’t have Laura this close feeling thirsty like she did.

            Her initial reaction had been to shove Laura away, but she had to be careful. She didn’t want to scare Laura or risk hurting her. But she took a deep breath, trying to forget about the sweet smell of her blood and focus on what she naturally smelled like.

            The smell of sunshine slowly blanketed her nose, veiling the smell of the thing that she craved for.

            She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Laura initiated the hug and even though she was out of practice when it came to human contact, she knew that this had to be a longer amount of time then deemed appropriate for a thank you. She didn’t mind though.

            Finally, Carmilla had to pull away. Laura’s scent may have masked the smell of her blood and given her comfort, but it didn’t stop the burning in her throat.

            It was odd though. Her throat was burning yet had absolutely no desire to sink her teeth in Laura. Even her natural animalistic side wasn’t anywhere near the point of dying to get the blood out the girl in front of her.

            Carmilla pulled away and Laura moved her hands to rest on Carmilla’s arms. It was shocking to Carmilla that someone was making constant contact with her like this. Laura had touched her before, but not like this.

            Before she could think about it any further, she gave Laura a smile that probably came off as a little confused. Maybe because she was. Not about Laura… maybe a little about Laura, but it wasn’t Laura herself. She was confused about her own feelings towards the girl.

            “I’ll see you later Laura,” Carmilla managed to say calmly and walk casually out of the room.

            She didn’t stay a moment longer to watch Laura’s reaction, but it didn’t stop her from listening to her heartbeat as she walked out of the room. It was pounding very quickly and very loudly in her chest.

            After exited the room and closed the door behind her, her casual walk turned into a brisk one towards the kitchen. It was time for her breakfast, hoping that JP was prepared with it. She hadn’t been planning on asking JP for a double today, but she would this morning just to be on the safe side.

            On her way to the kitchen, the only thing she could hear was Laura’s heartbeat in her ears and she could only smell sunshine in her nose.

            You know they say about flying too close to the sun…

Chapter Text

            Laura had needed to clear her mind after the morning events, so she asked the staff for help with a distraction. Being in the library made her think about Carmilla reading all the books she hadn’t yet, being in the garden made her think about the all walks and conversations they had and being in the dining hall had reminded her Carmilla’s most recent outburst.

            She had tried to distract herself with school work, but that only served as a reminder that she couldn’t leave the castle to go to her classes.

            That was another thing, Laura was feeling more at home here than she had expected. She had no idea how this came along. It didn’t feel like she was being manipulated by anyone to like it here because everyone seemed genuine. Yet, she was still here against her will. She wondered if it would be possible to change that. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that if she asked, Carmilla would certainly let her go.

            Laura wasn’t afraid of Carmilla’s anger. She wasn’t afraid of the possibility of getting her blood sucked. She wasn’t afraid to argue with Carmilla at dinner and yet her she was, afraid to ask her one simple question. She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

            Since her head was full of these complications and questions not just for Carmilla, but for herself as well, she needed to do something to clear it.

Her head needed to be sorted out and in the right space before talking to Carmilla again later today.

She couldn’t do her usual morning yoga routine because she had already done that before breakfast was served to her. It would have thrown her off more if she had tried to do it again.

            LaFontaine had suggested that she help her figure out how to operate some of the items in the castle that had popped up in the past decade. Will offered to show her how to sword fight. Kirsch thought that watching some hockey would be a good distraction. Perry had asked if she wanted to help clean up around the castle for as long as she liked. Elise had wanted to dress her up in different outfits.

            Laura like LaF but figured that teaching them about some of the most recent technology would be like teaching a grandparent. She had been interested in the sword fighting, but the only proficient sword fighters in the castle were Will and Carmilla. Will was a small clock and he said not to bother Carmilla with it. Kirsch offered but Laura didn’t want to be hurt due to dueling an amateur, so she opted out of that. Watching hockey would just remind her of her dad and how they would scream at the TV together when the players and referees were being idiots. As much as she like Elise, she really didn’t want to be that girl’s barbie doll for the afternoon.

            So she ended up in the kitchen with JP and Perry, scrubbing the counters with a rag and cleaning spray. Laura noticed that there was a pancake on the ceiling and asked JP about it. He just responded with a chuckle and told her to ask ‘her majesty’ how it got there. Something must have gone wrong earlier this morning when Carmilla helped make breakfast for her.

            Scrubbing the counter felt good. It was like she was cleaning her own kitchen back in the town. It was giving her a chance to think about things with a clear head.

            She was honestly shocked that Carmilla had come to her to apologize this morning. Having watched her over the past few days with her staff, she had expected Carmilla to ignore that she had been wrong, acting like it never happened. Either that or insist and convince everyone else that what she said was completely justified.

            It floored Laura when she had said the words “I’m sorry”. She hadn’t thought that she heard her right at first. When Carmilla said it a second time, she still had a hard time believing those words came out of her mouth

JP had told the entire staff about Carmilla in the kitchen so naturally, they came to Laura to ask questions. She just shrugged and told them it was a nice gesture.

            There was something about that apology that felt very personal to Laura. The way she had said it… There was something there. It felt like that apology meant more than just an apology about their conversation last night. It was something she didn’t feel sharing with the rest of the castle. She didn’t want to share it with anyone.

            The rest of that exchange had become extremely personal, Laura couldn’t deny it. There were words spoken that felt that they had a bigger meaning behind them than actually said. She had definitely held that hug longer than someone normally would have. She just hoped that Carmilla didn’t notice that.

            Who was she kidding, Laura thought, of course she would notice.

            There was something about Carmilla that Laura hadn’t seen when they first met. Something that made change her mind about the woman, a complete one-eighty from her impression during their first conversation together.

            Laura could no longer deny that she had come to care for Carmilla. It was alarming to her. However, she was still being kept here. She couldn’t truly that let her care for Carmilla get any further as long as she was still being held here.

            Carmilla had to give her the choice. This was all up to Carmilla. She had to let Laura go of her own accord. Laura couldn’t just ask her, it was probably in the back of her mind all this time. It was why Laura couldn’t bring herself to ask her herself.

            However, Laura couldn’t wait around forever for that to happen if it ever did. Maybe this all just a hoax. Carmilla might be faking her actions and acting, not truly caring about Laura at all.

            Laura felt like there was a battle going on inside her head because none of this made sense. Developing some sort of caring feelings towards her captor and her developing those same feelings back was textbook crazy one-o-one. In the real world, this was not only next to impossible, it would be completely frowned up.

            But what was the real world? Before a little under a week ago, Laura hadn’t believed in magic and beasts and castles. It was all in front of her now. It felt like too much time had passed for it to all be one crazy hallucination or dream. She had never even stepped one foot out of Silas before she came across the castle. She couldn’t even count it because even this was a part of Silas.

            It felt like her mind was running around in circles. It needed to stop.

            That’s when Laura decided that she couldn’t deny that she cared for Carmilla in some way. She wouldn’t admit anything beyond that because it couldn’t be any more than that unless Carmilla was willing to let her go own her own. She would give Carmilla a chance to give her freedom back in the few days. If she didn’t Laura would take it back herself, no matter how she felt towards the woman.

            There was no way that they could have any sort of healthy relationship- friendship or more- if Carmilla withheld Laura’s freedom.

            Laura couldn’t decide if cleaning had really helped clear her mind or if it only made it worse. Sure, she had come up with something to move forward with, but there was still a battle going on in her head.

She had moved on from the kitchen at this point to her own room. Her bed was made, her bathroom had been wiped down and all of her clothes were hung up and put away neatly. For some reason, the entire staff was putting in a large effort to clean the castle up nicely. It was the nicest and cleanest it had ever been since Laura arrived.

Everything was sparkling and there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the furniture. It had all been cleaned and polished. It was looking more like a castle fit for royalty than it had before.

All of the cleaning was done, yet Laura really didn’t do too much except clean the kitchen counters and her own bedroom and bathroom. She was currently mindlessly wiping down the large window on the opposite side of her bed from the balcony doors.

            As she looked out of it, she spotted a figure sitting underneath a tree not too far from the greenhouse and back kitchen door. There was a book in her hand.

            Carmilla had told her that she would probably be in the garden earlier.

            They hadn’t spoken since their interaction a few hours ago. Laura had tried to get some work done after finishing her food, but her mind kept wandering to Carmilla. It kept going back and forth from a reminder that she was unable to leave the castle to a reminder about the woman that kept her from leaving the castle. She loved writing stories about current events and reading, so to have something distract her from something she was so passionate about was saying something.

            She now found herself completely distracted by Carmilla, unable to even focus on finishing cleaning the window. If she couldn’t keep herself distracted from the woman, she might as well go talk to her and stop trying to take her attention off of her.

            She was able to keep the last of her focus on the window long enough to finish wiping it down. It was difficult, but she did it.

            Her head was clear enough-not really but enough- that she decided it was okay to go talk to Carmilla. Maybe not about anything too… big because it would probably just confuse herself even more.

            She changed from her dirty cleaning clothes to something more fitting for the inevitable cold outside. It was sunnier than usual, but that didn’t mean it was going to be warmer. Magic did not follow the rules of weather.

            Laura threw on black leggings and a dark blue and purple high pile quarter zip sweater paired with white high-top vans. Her hair was a mess from cleaning, so she opted not to deal with it and throw it up into a bun.

            Before going out, she checked the vanity to see if there was a pair of sunglasses she could wear. Not only was there one pair, there were many pairs. She elected to go with the gold and black clubmasters.

            It was a little warmer than Laura had expected outside. It might have been the first time she felt the temperature change since she arrived.

            She wasn’t sure if she was imagining this, but she could’ve sworn that more roses had grown on the rose bushes since yesterday. Nonetheless, she didn’t stop to admire them. The woman on her mind was the only thing that had her attention.

            Carmilla looked up from her book as Laura approached her. The focus she had from reading, now gone and replaced with a large smile on her face.

            Laura’s heart couldn’t help but flutter at the sight. She had never seen Carmilla looked so relaxed sitting down. Something was different, she looked a little lighter than usual.

            “Hey cutie,” Carmilla said when Laura had fallen within earshot.

            “What are you reading?” Laura asked and peered down at the book.

            “Nothing,” Carmilla immediately tried to hide the cover, but Laura had already caught the title of book before she could.

            “Guinevere and Lancelot,” Laura said, questioning her choice of genre.

            Carmilla had teased her about Romeo and Juliet being too mushy and romantic. Now she was here reading a book with the same type of context and same genre. It made Laura let of a small laugh and sat down beside her.

            “Well it’s actually, King Arthur and the Round Table,” Carmilla tried to correct her. “You know, knights and swords. Adventure and Action…”

            Laura gave her a pointed look.

            “But still… It’s romance,” Laura corrected back.

            Carmilla shook her head, but it didn’t seem like she was disagreeing. It was more like a ‘I’ve been caught’ head shake.

            She threw one of her hands up in the air.

            “All right, you caught me,” Carmilla admitted rather dramatically. “I felt like a change. Maybe I wanted to remember what all the fuss is about with these romantic books.”

            “It’s okay to admit that you actually enjoy the romance genre Carm,” Laura giggled. “There’s no judgement here.”

            “What,” Carmilla exclaimed. “No. I may occasionally enjoy a quote or two from each book, but I do not believe that it is the best genre there is. There are much better ones.”

            “I didn’t ask you to say that it was the best genre. I said that it was okay to say that you enjoy reading the genre,” Laura put an emphasis on the ‘enjoy’ part.

            She knew that Carmilla probably wasn’t going to admit to it unless she used all of the faces that some people just couldn’t say no too.

            However, they were both wearing sunglasses and Carmilla could easily avoid looking at her face. So, when Carmilla didn’t answer her, she pulled her own sunglasses down just slight so Carmilla could see her eyes and gave her the best pout she could.

            It took a moment, but there was no way Carmilla could ignore her when she was making such an effort to look at her.

            “Don’t give me that look cupcake,” Carmilla groaned.

            Laura almost smiled in victory but remembered that she was trying to get Carmilla to admit that she enjoyed romance stories. She kept the pout on her face.

            “You really want to know what I think?” Carmilla put her book down and turned her head towards Laura.

            Laura nodded.

            “I think that you are too cute to ignore right now, so I’m just going to walk away and finish my book somewhere else.”

            Laura didn’t think she was serious until she started getting up from the ground.

            “Come on Carm,” Laura grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back down. “Don’t be like that, I’m only joking.”

            Carmilla paused just slightly lifted off the ground and then proceeded to laugh.

            “So am I cutie,” she said as she sat back down on the ground.

            She had actually moved closer to Laura. Now their arms were well against each other.

            Carmilla had turned her attention back to her book. Laura wished that she had brought a book with her now. She was mentally kicking herself for not bringing one because now she had nothing to distract her from the buzz in her arm that came from the contact with Carmilla’s. It was making her slightly restless and she knew that Carmilla would be able to feel it too.

            There was only one other thing she could do- talk.

            “You know,” Laura started. “I never thanked you for saving my life.”

            Laura wanted to slap herself. Of all of the things to bring up, it had to be her escape attempt. She literally could have picked anything in the world to talk about and she came up with something from that night.

            “Well,” Carmilla shrugged. “I never thanked you… for not letting those wolves tear into more than they already did.”

            Laura laughed a little awkwardly. They must have both been thinking the same thing about that. Laura could have left her there to die- well, not die because she couldn’t, but it didn’t mean that she still couldn’t have felt extremely hurt.

            Still, Laura could have taken the horse all the way back to town and left Carmilla alone in the cold against the wolves. She didn’t though.

            Laura sighed and placed her head on Carmilla’s shoulder without thinking. Something about doing it felt right. She fit nicely against Carmilla’s shoulder.

            Then there was loud sound of shouts and laughter coming from the back-kitchen door. It must have been some of the servants or staff working in the kitchen. Laura had to think if she had ever heard a group of them large like that before.

            Maybe she heard it after their little show in dining hall on her first night. She wasn’t sure, but it made her smile. Something shifted against her head and she had a feeling that Carmilla was smiling too.

            “They know how to have a good time,” Laura commented.

            Carmilla shrugged.

            “Yes. But when I enter the room the laughter dies.”

            “Me too,” Laura responded immediately picking at the grass in the ground. “People around town say that I’m a ‘funny girl’, but I don’t think they mean it as a compliment.”

            “That’s awful,” Carmilla growled a bit. “Your village sounds terrible.”

            Laura smiled tentatively.

            “Almost as lonely as your castle.”

            Carmilla didn’t respond, but gently placed her hand on Laura’s. They both could relate to constantly being surrounded by people but feeling alone.

            They sat in silence for a little while, Carmilla didn’t even attempt to read or reopen her book. Laura felt comfortable with her hand on Carmilla’s shoulder.

            Suddenly, Laura felt Carmilla’s snap up in an instant and a pair of eyes on her. Carmilla reached over with her hand that wasn’t on Laura’s and used it to tilt her head up.

            Laura moved with Carmilla’s hand until it let go and Laura was now looking up at Carmilla’s face. It had a devious smirk on it and Laura was confused.

            “What do you say we run away?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura jerked her hand back a little bit in surprise and confusion.

            “Like, leave Silas?” Laura was skeptic.

            Although she had made up her mind about Carmilla giving her her freedom back, this is not at all what she had in mind.

            “Yes, but technically no,” Carmilla replied without further explanation.

            Before Laura could ask what she meant, Carmilla was already on her feet, pulling Laura up with her. She wasn’t surprised that Carmilla could easily pull her up, but she was surprised because she wasn’t ready for it.

            “Carm,” Laura protested after she got her bearings together on her feet. “What do you mean ‘run away’?”

            “Look,” Carmilla said squeezing Laura’s hand. “Technically, we aren’t going anywhere beyond the castle. I can promise you that, but at the same time we can go anywhere you’d like. Just trust me?”

            Laura looked into her eyes and there was nothing but excitement in her eyes. The question wasn’t meant to be loaded, but Laura felt like it was. Carmilla probably didn’t even mean to ask it like that.

            She decided that she could trust Carmilla with this and didn’t want to interpret it beyond that. So, she gave her a nod.

            Carmilla gave her a little mischievous smile and then used their joined hands to guide Laura back towards the castle.

            Laura had to remind Carmilla that she was still only human and couldn’t move as fast she could because Carmilla was moving a little quick for her. Carmilla had given her an apologetic look and then slowed down to a fast walk for her.

            They reached the library and Carmilla brought her around to the front of the large, main desk in the middle of the library.

            “Wait here for a moment,” Carmilla said as she let go of Laura’s hand.

            With a blink of eye, she was gone. By the time that Laura registered that she was no longer in front of her, she already was back. Laura had to stop herself from jumping back too far in a scared surprise.

            Carmilla didn’t seem to notice though. She had a key in her hand and was inserting it into the top desk drawer, center of the table. The drawer was much larger than any top desk drawer Laura had seen.

            She understood why as soon as Carmilla opened it. Resting in the drawer on top of a velvet fabric, was a large, leather bound book. It had a gold-leaf cover that shimmered in her eyes. She would’ve believed that it was trick of the light had she not known about magic. That’s exactly what it was.

            Carmilla pulled the book out of the drawer, blowing off the thick layer of dust that had collected on the top of it.

            “Another little ‘gift’ from the enchantress…” Carmilla said with slight sarcasm.

            She put the book on top of the desk and then started moving all the other books to other open places. Laura just stood there and watch, unsure if she should help. Carmilla didn’t need it though, she was done in seconds. The desk was now clean except for the one book.

            Laura positioned herself to the left of Carmilla in front of the book. She wasn’t sure what was happening and decided best not to question it. If magic was involved, it was probably best to let Carmilla work with it. There was no way Carmilla had gone all these years without studying it.

            She cracked the book open and it revealed a large, antique world atlas. It was odd though because there were no countries. No borders existed on the map besides, the divide between land and water.

            “A book that truly allows you to escape,” Carmilla presented the book.

            Laura inched her face closer to towards the pages of the book. The drawings on the pages were moving, almost alive. There were waves lapping in the ocean and trees swaying in the wind. It was like one of those pictures right out a Harry Potter book, but this was real.

            “It’s incredible,” Laura breath out as she ran her down the edge of the book, but not actually touching it.

            “It was her cruelest trick of all,” Carmilla sighed like she was tired of being angry about it. “The outside world has no place for a creature like me. But it can, for you.”

            Laura wanted to protest Carmilla’s comment, but Carmilla offered her a hand and Laura kept her mouth shut. She took her hand and Carmilla gently guides it to just over the book with her palm facing down toward the pages.

            “Think of the place you’ve most wanted to see,” Carmilla whispered. “First, see it in your mind’s eye.”

            She picked the first place that came to mind. A place that meant so much to her but had not seen it in person yet. She had only seen it through pictures, and she wondered if this was going to be similar to that or much more than.

            “Now feel it in your heart,” Carmilla said after the pause.

            That was easy. There were so many emotions behind her right now, she could easily feel it in her heart.

            “Ready?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura nodded and then Carmilla guided her hand down to touch the pages. The library and the castle had blurred around Laura, falling away from her vision. There are large, bright lights flashing in her eyes. She had no idea what was going on, but she wasn’t scared. She could still feel Carmilla’s hand on hers and it was comforting.

            Soon all the bright lights faded away and everything in Laura’s vision starts to focus.

            Before her vision could fully recover, Carmilla was already away from her side, exploring the place they had ended up.

            “Where did you bring us?” she asked.

            Laura’s eyes finally adjusted, and it was much more real and tangible than a picture. If she was really here, then the pictures didn’t do it justice.

            “Paris,” Laura answered tenderly.

            This was her parent’s place when they lived in Paris. It was a beautiful, small apartment and it looked the exact same as in the pictures but was much smaller than she had imagined. Based on the pictures she’d seen, nothing had changed in the last twenty-one years since her mom and dad had left.

            “Paris is amazing,” Carmilla said from the window. “Would you like to see first? Notre Dame? The Champs-Elysees?”

            Laura heard Carmilla speak but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

            “Speechless? I know how you feel cupcake,” Carmilla smirked at her. “I’ll give you a moment to take it all in.”

They were currently in the living room-kitchen area. It was much smaller than her apartment back in Silas. There was a three-sectional couch in front of a wall of bookshelves, a small coffee table in between the couch and very small TV stand with an out-of-date TV on it.

“It’s so much smaller than I imagined,” Laura said under her breath.

            Towards the entrance of the apartment, there was a small table and against a wall with a large picture above it. It was a large picture of her mom and dad, the same one that her dad kept on his desk in his office. Her mom and dad were sitting in somewhere in front of the Eiffel Tower with a single rose in her mom’s hand.

            Laura felt tears started to form in her eyes.

            She looked down at the table underneath the picture. It was littered with more pictures of her parents on their adventures, mostly pictures of her mom that were taken by her dad. She was truly so beautiful, Laura would never be as pretty as her.

            As her eyes studied each picture, she came across one that was different from all the rest. It was a black and white polaroid. At first it didn’t look like a picture of anything, just a bunch of weird lines on a photo. It took her a minute to realize that it was a picture of something. It was picture of an ultrasound.

            When she flipped the polaroid over, there was writing on the back. It was her mom’s handwriting. It read:

            Laura, our baby girl, 20 weeks

            It her a picture of her in her mom’s womb. Tears were threatening to spill over, but then something else caught her eye. An unopened letter was sitting on the corner of the table. It was addressed to her in her mom’s handwriting.

            She slowly opened it and unfolded the paper in it. It was a short letter that read:

            My dearest Laura, I miss you so much. You have no idea how much I love you. I am so sorry that I left you and your father alone so early. I wish that I could be there for you growing up, but life has other plans for me.

            I have requested that your father keep this apartment in hopes that you would one day own it and keep this letter safely tucked away in it. You must be an adult now and you’ve probably grown into a beautiful, strong young woman. As I sit here, you’re only a few years old, and so smart and full of life. You have already adopted my thirst for adventure and your father’s kindness. I’m sure that you’ll have all the best part of us by the time you read this.

            I love you so, so much, my beautiful daughter. If I know you, you’re probably doing everything you can to take care of your father and the people around you. Just don’t forget to do what makes you happy Laura. Find that thing that you love and hold onto it. You can do anything you set your mind too. Give your father a hug for me. I love you, Laura. Don’t ever, ever forget that.

Love, Mom

            Tears were flowing from Laura’s eyes now, a few of them leaving droplets on her mom’s letter. She had never suspected to hear from her mom again. This letter meant the world to her. It was like being able to hear her voice one last time as an adult.

            “Laura?” she heard Carmilla call from behind her.

            There were still tears flowing from her eyes. She couldn’t stop them.

            Laura felt Carmilla’s hand on her shoulder and when she turned to face her, Carmilla was standing there was empathy and comfort on her face. Carmilla immediately opened her arms up and pulled Laura into her embrace. Laura’s started crying harder into Carmilla’s shoulder, the letter and photo still clenched in her hand.

            “I miss her so much,” Laura mumbled into Carmilla’s shirt.

            “I know,” Carmilla said, rubbing her hand. “Are all these pictures of her?”

            “Yes, these are all pictures of her and my dad on their world travels before I was born. I want to be able to travel like they did some day.”

            “She’s beautiful,” Carmilla said softly. “She looks just like you.”

            Laura buried her head deeper into Carmilla’s shoulder. Carmilla held her just a little bit tighter.

            “It’s amazing that they got to spend so much time traveling together,” Carmilla continued. “Not a lot of people get the chance to do that with the person they love.”

            Laura nodded.

            “Your father kept this place?” Carmilla asked.

            “Yes,” Laura whispered. “For me.”

            There was a moment of silence and Laura took a deep breath against Carmilla. She could smell that wonderful scent of forest and pine against Carmilla’s neck. The familiar hint of rose with it, but… the metallic scent was barely discernable, almost nonexistent.

            It brought her comfort and despite Carmilla having a low body temperature, she brought her warmth.

            “I’m sorry I ever called your father a thief,” Carmilla spoke again.

            Laura removed her face from Carmilla’s tear-stained shoulder and looked up at her. It was another genuine apology from her- twice in one day. The air around them felt lighter, something surrounding those words made the air feel different than before.

            Once again, it seemed like more than a simple apology coming from Carmilla’s voice. Laura didn’t know what it was.

            Laura stared into Carmilla’s beautiful brown eyes. There was something familiar in her eyes. She had seen it somewhere before but couldn’t remember where. She was too emotional right now to place it. So much for not trying to discuss big things…

            Without a beat in between in her words, Laura pulled herself back into Carmilla’s embrace and said, “Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

            It had been five days since Danny last saw Laura in person. She had yet to return home and she had yet to answer all of her messages.

            Oliver had started digging into her contacts. The only contact she had made was through some random emails to her teachers at school. They were all extremely vague or there was a mere document attached to it with no details.

 Danny only knew this because Oliver had asked her about Laura’s life at school. Wherever she was, she was still keeping up with her work and assignments somehow. It made it harder for Oliver to continue digging into as a missing person’s since she was technically in contact with someone. However, he decided that despite the emails, Laura was missing.

They tried to trace the email address and the IP address that she had been sending the emails from, but every time they tried, it would come up as a nonexistent IP address. It was perplexing the Silas PD, so Oliver had asked Danny if she had any cyber contacts or if she had electronics no one knew about.

            Danny had answered no to both. Laura didn’t have many friends as far as she knew. She also wasn’t the kind of shady person to have a black-market laptop or something like that. Laura was the most kind-hearted person she had ever met. She didn’t the kind of a personality to attract people who lived on the dark web.

            For the past five days, Danny and her friends had tried to scour further and further in the woods. It was the same result almost every time with small variations. The thick fog was pretty consistent. Sometimes there would be sounds of wolves, causing her and her crew to aim their guns into a fog where they couldn’t shit. They often just ran back to the car during those situations. One time was a lot colder than they had anticipated the weather to be and they had to turn back on account of fear of hypothermia.

            It was like the woods were trying to prevent them from searching through them. Danny had to laugh at that thought though, that was impossible. Woods couldn’t do such things. They were just pieces of landscape stuck in the ground.

            Danny had heard that Sherman was put on a seventy-two hour hold in the psych ward at the hospital. He also heard that it turned into a longer stay due to an incident with one of the nurses. It only made her guilt grow further. She felt like she was going to crush underneath the weight of it.

            She tried to justify it by telling herself that Sherman would have ended up there anyways with his delusions, but it didn’t ease her guilt in the slightest.

            So, she emerced herself in her studies and trying to find Laura.

            Currently, she was staring at map of Silas. Every time she searched the woods, she would mark off where they had searched. It didn’t make sense though. By her account, which was probably close to accurate, they should have searched the entire woods already. It only stretched so far, but each time she went back, it felt like they stretched on for much longer than what the map had.

            It was no wonder Sherman had lost his mind. These woods were extremely tricky. If she didn’t have anyone to talk to about this, she could see herself believing Sherman’s story about the beast and the castle. It was almost like the woods were shrouding something…

            Danny shook her head and chuckled at herself, she had been at this for a while now and she couldn’t see everything properly. She needed a break or a drink, or both.

            She walked downstairs to the large living room of the Summer Society house. Betty, Mattie and SJ were all sitting on the couch or the floor with a drink in one hand and a pen or study paper in the other.

            She wondered if Laura was really keeping up with her studies and if she was, how was she doing it. They all had a hard time keeping up when they were present for class as it was.

            SJ spotted her at the bottom of the stairs, gave her a smile and then waved her over.

            Danny let out a sigh and sauntered over to the group of girls.

            “Hey Danny,” SJ gave her a sympathetic smile. “How are you doing?”

            Danny stretched her arms out towards the ceiling.

            “Tired, frustrated. I just don’t understand how we haven’t finished sweeping the entire forest. The maps say that the woods are only so big, you know? And according to them, we should have reached all four sides.”

            Betty shrugged as she handed Danny a glass of white wine.

            “I just feel so bad for Laura,” Danny continued. “She’s out there all alone, possibly in some sort of danger.”

            “Well,” Mattie spoke up. “You know what they say about the first forty-eight hours…”

            “Mattie!” Betty and SJ shouted at the same time.

            “I’m only kidding,” Mattie held her hands up. “I don’t know why Danny, but I have a feeling that Laura is just fine. She’s a resourceful girl.”

            “Did you just say something positive?” SJ asked in shocked.

            Danny was actually wondering the same thing. She couldn’t believe that those words had just come out of Mattie’s mouth.

            “I did,” Mattie confirmed. “I can’t explain it ladies, but I just know that she’s doing just fine right now.”

            Danny looked at SJ and Betty then they looked at each other and then back at Danny. This was an unusual turn of events.  Danny could count the number of times Mattie had been this confidently positive on one hand.

            “You a psychic now Mattie?” Betty joked.

            All of them let out a laugh except for Mattie who just glared at them.

            “Who knows,” Mattie sang out. “All this talk of beasts and talking tea cups, who is to say the Sherman isn’t telling the truth. Just because no else has seen it doesn’t mean it’s not true. Until there is proof that it isn’t true, we cannot say otherwise. That proof would be finding Laura and hearing her explanation of things.”

            Danny didn’t know what to say. It was like Mattie actually believed in… magic or something. Danny wouldn’t say that she didn’t believe in magic, but she also wouldn’t say that she did. She believed more in the magic of people and their ability to be completely human, but still find ways to make other people’s lives better. However, if someone is talking about the hocus-pocus type shit, Danny didn’t even remotely believe that existed.

            “So,” Danny concluded. “You believe in magic.”

            “I’m not saying I do and I’m not saying I don’t,” Mattie answered before sipping her drink.

            Danny had been thinking that same thing, but she had a weird feeling that they didn’t carry the same meaning.

            “I think we need to send you to the psych ward,” SJ joked.

            “SJ,” Danny warned her. “Not cool.”

            “Come on Dan, I was just kidding,” she pushed back.

            Talking about magic had made her forget about her guilt and her problems for a moment. If she had magic though, she could bring back Laura with a ‘poof’. Too bad it didn’t exist.

            SJ proceeded to ruin her little brain vacation by joking about the psych ward. Mental health wasn’t an issue to be joked about.

            Danny shook her head, that was true, but that really wasn’t about that. It was about feeling responsible for sending Sherman to the psych ward.

            Agh! Danny believed that he was going to end up there one way or another, why did she have to be the final straw that pushed him over the edge.

            Danny took a big gulp of her wine. Four days had gone by without sign of Laura. It was so hard to believe that she could leave, or someone could kidnap her and not leave any trace as to where she was or who took her.

            The only leads that they had were the ravings of a man who hit his head very hard and now was in the psych ward at the hospital. She couldn’t even visit him to try and get more information. One, he wasn’t allowed visitors yet. Two, the police had been consistently questioning them and had nothing. Three, there was no way in hell that Sherman would want to see Danny.

            “I’m so tired of having nothing to go off of right now,” Danny told the girls. “I’m pretty the police are just as stuck as us.”

            “She vanished without a trace Danny,” Betty sighed. “What else would you expect?”

            “What about the emails?” SJ suggested.

            Danny pointed at SJ in confirmation.

            “Emails,” Danny emphasized. “Apparently they’re still coming through too. There have been no responses to the emails asking about where she is and if she needs help or if she’s in trouble. It’s like she’s ignoring them. The only emails she sends back are the one with her assignments.”

            “Aren’t they like constantly tracing the IP address, but it still comes up as nonexistent?” Betty pointed out.

            “Sure,” Danny offered. “But there’s still communication between her and some else town. That’s not not leaving trace.”

            “Semantics,” Betty scoffed. “She’s still completely MIA. Have you ever thought that she doesn’t want to be found? Like, she really did run away and never looked back?”

            “Then why isn’t she answering the emails about how she’s doing and where she is?”

            “Because she doesn’t want to be found,” Betty exasperated.

            “I don’t believe that,” Danny said confidently. “She wouldn’t just leave her father too worry about her like that.”

            “What if she didn’t,” Betty asked. “What if she told him that she was going away, and his mind couldn’t handle his only daughter going away? What if he just broke?”

            Danny was about to speak up in protest, but oddly enough, Mattie did for her.

            “The man survived in the army,” she reminded Betty. “He’s a lot stronger than he looks and people give him credit for. I don’t think that’s the case.”

            “Look,” Betty raised her hands in defense. “I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, okay?  I’m just saying that there’s a possibility that she doesn’t want to be found.”

            Danny scoffed.

            “It’s like a 0.01% possibility, but you don’t know her as well as I do. She wouldn’t just up and leave Silas, especially not before finishing school.”

            “She seems to be doing alright with school anyways,” SJ mumbled.

            “Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you do Danny,” Betty spoke calmly. “After all, she said no to dating you multiple times now, right?”

            Danny started seething. It was not cool of Betty to bring that up, she had no  right. That was something that she had told all of them in confidence and now it was getting thrown back in her face. Fucking hell, she was so done with this right now.

            “Betty…” SJ hissed at her.

            “I’m sorry, but it’s true!” Betty practically shouted.

            Danny clenched her teeth. Maybe Betty was right, maybe Danny didn’t know Laura as well as she thought she did. Nonetheless, Danny wanted to search under every nook and cranny until there was nothing left. Until there was absolutely no proof that Laura wasn’t in danger she wouldn’t give up. If Betty turned out to be right, so be it. As long as Laura was okay.

            “Whatever,” Danny waved her off. “I’m going to lose it soon if we don’t find something sometime soon. I hate sitting around and waiting. I need something to do.”

            “Well, it’s getting dark and you know that I won’t go to the woods past dark,” Betty spoke up.

            “I didn’t suggest that,” Danny growled at her.

            “But you were thinking it,” Betty retorted.

            Danny didn’t tell her she was wrong because she wasn’t. She had wanted to go back to the woods and search some more, but after the incident with Sherman… She didn’t want to bring anyone with her past dark.

            “You all want to go get milkshakes or something?” Danny asked.

            They all turned their heads in surprise at her.

            “You. You want to go get milkshakes? Right now? Instead of scouring over your map like you’ve done for the past four nights?” SJ asked skeptically.

            Danny nodded.

            “Well, I can’t do anything now that the sun is down, and the maps are shit anyways, so might as well take a break with my friends. Is that not okay?”

            SJ and Betty shook their heads vigorously. Mattie just gave her a bored looked.

            “That’s fine with me,” Mattie spoke. “Better milkshakes than being chased down by squirrels in the forest this late.”

            “That was one time,” Betty shouted at her. “I wasn’t sure what was behind me.”

            Danny shook her head. They would tease and mock each other all day, but at the end of the day, they cared for each other. They would help and do just about anything for each other. Danny had seen it when she asked for their help in search of Laura.

            “Let’s go before soon,” Danny said as she headed towards the stairs. “We don’t want to get there late and then sit there before they kick us out at night.”

            “But we always do that,” SJ laughed.

            Danny laughed with her, quickly running to her room to grab a jacket. By the time she came downstairs, the three of them were ready to go and Mel had joined them too.

            “I asked Mel if she wanted to come too,” SJ smiled at her.

            Danny smiled back and gave a thumbs up. She quickly put her shoes on, and they headed out the door.

            They always went to Anglerfish Diner for milkshakes and late-night snacks. It was the best burger diner in town. Actually, it was the only non-chain burger diner in town, and it was only a few blocks away, they walked to it.

            The waitress working tonight recognized the group of them and smiled widely, giving them their usually large, round booth in the front corner of the diner. The waiters and waitresses loved having them because even if it made them stay a little later than usual, they always made sure to tip very nicely.

            Danny and the crew didn’t even need menus to know what they wanted to get. The waitress came over and asked it everyone want their usual. Everyone except Mattie said yes. She just asked for a black coffee.

            “Coffee?” Danny asked her.

            “Not sure,” Mattie gave her a mischievous smile. “Just feel like I’m going to need to have some energy for later.

            “Ooooo,” Betty teased her. “Someone’s magical powers are at work here.”

            Mattie didn’t say anything, she simply scoffed and flipped her off. It was a typical Mattie thing to do.

            Danny was so glad that she was surrounded by good people. This was almost making her forget about the heavy weight of guilt on her shoulders. Hopefully, when they found Laura, that weight would be lifted, and everything would be alright.

            Their orders came out rather quickly and they did exactly what Danny said would happen. They were slow to finish their meals and spent all night chatting about nothing in particular. About school, teachers, home, life after college, boys, girls, etc. The list went on.

            Eventually, the waitress came over and said that it was that time again. They were closing up and it was time for them to leave. Danny had predicted this would happen because it always did. No one involved ever minded it though.

            As they walked down the street back to their house, they started messing around in the street, acting like the immature college students people thought college students were. Danny was glad she suggested this, it made her feel lighter, just for a little bit.

            She was going to fix everything eventually. No matter what it took, she knew it was the right thing to do. For now, she would continue her search for…

            There was loud clomping sound coming from down the street. It almost sounded like a horse running through the streets are Silas. It couldn’t have been though.

            Danny looked at her watch. No one would be out on a horse in Silas, much less at eleven at night during the weekday. To her surprise though, as it got closer, it was horse and there was someone riding on the back of it.

            “Is that a horse?” Mel asked quizzically.

            “Sure, looks like it,” Betty responded.

            “Who is on the back of it?” Danny asked, peering down the street.

            She could barely make out that it was a person on the back of it. It was too dark, and it was still too far away to see their face clearly.

            The only thing Danny could see was a horse and a blob of yellow on its back. It was hauling very quickly at them.

            “You should probably get out of the street,” Danny yelled at her friends.

            They all quickly reared their heads to see the horse coming right for them. It was still too dark to discern who was on the back of the horse, but it was coming up fast.

            They all stopped on the sidewalk and stared at it as it came closer to them.

            Danny couldn’t help but wonder why someone would be riding horse in Silas at night. Maybe she was dealing with an old west cowboy cosplay. She internally laughed at the idea. Silas wasn’t the type of town to have that kind of thing.

            The horse was getting closer and closer, still moving at fast pace. If Danny had to guess, the horse was going over the speed limit. It was only thirty-five miles an hour down this particular street.

            It was soon within ten feet of her. It was dark but could picked out some details on the horse besides the person’s face. Danny had seen that whoever was riding on the back of it was wearing very large, very yellow elegant dress. The horse was built like a racehorse, probably not easy to come by and very expensive. The saddle with some sort of crest embossed on the side of it.

            Danny couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was like a someone how jumped out of the history book from the late 1700s.

            The person on the horse rode past her, a street light shining on her face, giving Danny one second to see who it was.

            “Was that-?” Mel stuttered.

            “Oh my god,” Betty squealed. “I knew it.”

            “Holy shit-“ SJ’s jaw dropped.

            The horse was now well past them and Danny turned to her friends in awe. A part of her was worried, the other part was scared and another part of her was pissed.

            Mattie sauntered up next to Danny.

            “I told you.”

-------------

            Night number four. Sherman had been locked up in the hospital for four nights now. It was well past the seventy-two-hour mark, but Laura was now a missing person and there was no other family to call.

            The doctor, Dr. Ramon, was nice enough guy, but he had deemed it necessary that Sherman be here longer than seventy-two hours. He declared that Sherman was suffering for PTSD that caused hallucinations. There was some winded explanation that he had given him, but Sherman didn’t care much for it.

            He knew what PTSD was, he had seen some guys in his unit go through it, hell… he admitted that he had it for a while after retiring from the army. It was his temper that was trigger and he knew it, it’s why he kept himself so calm most of the time. Laura had kept in calm most of the time.

            Despite the doctor calling him crazy, he was actually grateful for the moment. His room was quiet, and it gave him time to think. Laura had officially been declared a missing person, so that was good and a step in the right direction. Hopefully, enough searching through the woods would bring them to the castle. They would see that he wasn’t crazy, and he could be let go. He was still filled with worry when he thought about Laura.

            He couldn’t imagine what she was going through. He had only been in the tower for a few hours and it felt absolutely terrible. It had been five nights now. She could be dead from the hypothermia or could have frostbite on her fingers and toes.

            It was driving him crazy- no pun intended- that he didn’t know what was going on with Laura. He would never be able to let her out of his sight ever again once he got her back. If he got her back… No, when he got her back… If? When?

            There was no way to get out here without a doctor’s sign off. He was locked in like a prison. Dr. Ramon was his only visitor aside true from aside from other random patients that came in to say hi. Everyone around here seemed normal for the most part, except for those few that were still trying to work their medication out.

            Sherman was familiar with PTSD medication, he didn’t believe that he needed his dose changed, but Dr. Ramon had insisted that they try something and see if it would help.

            A part of him was scared though because changing medication and medication doses always came risks. On the one hand, your head could feel cloudier and muddier, feeling out of it and depressed. On the other hand, it wasn’t enough, you risk triggering your PTSD. Either were very unpleasant.

            It was the first time Dr. Ramon was coming in for a session since changing his medication. He hadn’t changed his medication in over 10 years, he hadn’t had a trigger in over 10 years. He had done it all so he could take of his daughter.

            After his wife died, he knew he had to step up as Laura’s only parent figure. That required being able to control his PTSD. He had always been scared of getting a trigger around Laura and hurting her somehow, so he finally got the help that he needed.

            There was knock on his door and Sherman turned from the window to see Dr. Ramon peak his head through the door.

            “Sherman,” he smiled at him. “It’s about that time.”

            Ramon had pointed at his watch and let himself into the room. Sherman nodded and then took a seat in one of the seats across next to the window. Ramon took a seat in the other one.

            They started off with some standard questions about how his body was feeling and how his head was feeling. Then they fell into more of a conversation.

            It was about his life, his past and present. They talked about his time in the service, but nothing came into his head. Nothing triggered him, but he knew it wasn’t that easy to trigger his symptoms.

            As they continued with a natural conversation, it eventually circled to around his daughter. His world that revolved around his only daughter.

            They talked about her personality and how school was going for her, but then Ramon started pushing.

            “So, Laura went missing four nights ago?” Ramon asked.

            “She was kidnapped,” Sherman corrected.

            “How do you know she was kidnapped,” Ramon questioned him. “Where is the evidence of that?”

            Sherman shifted in his seat. They had been over this so many times now, at least two times a day. At first, he told the truth about the beast and the castle. Then after a few sessions, he quickly learned that he could get of here if he lied.

            “I am the evidence,” Sherman stated. “She came to find me in the woods after I had been kidnapped by a man in the woods. Then, she offered to give up herself for me. I argued with her. I told her to go home, to get help if she could. She agreed at first and then tricked me, taking my place. The kidnapper dragged me away, leaving me in the middle of the woods with the ATV Laura had taken to find me.”

            “What did his man look like?”

            “I don’t know,” Sherman grimaced. “I didn’t get a good look at him.”

            He wasn’t sure how, but the room as getting darker. The sun going down so that had to be it. The lights overhead were on though, but it was still dark and getting darker.

            “Where did he hold you?”

            Sherman looked around the room, he needed more light in this room. He hated lying about this. It felt like a weight being placed on his shoulders. No one believed the real story. He couldn’t tell anyone anymore. He couldn’t trust anyone except himself.

            “Somewhere in the woods,” he growled. “I couldn’t see anything, it was dark and cold… damp… Stone…”

            “Stone? That’s new.” Ramon said pointedly.

            “No,” Sherman corrected himself quickly. “Not stone. Hard dirt.”

            He was lying through his teeth right now and it didn’t sit right with him.

            A door shut loudly in the hallway, Sherman made his best effort not to jump, but the sound started ringing in his ears.

            “Okay,” Ramon said. “A kidnapper in the woods?”

            “Yes,” Sherman gritted. He knew that this just all for helping with his PTSD, trying to find out the “real” story for those purposes. His testimony would never hold in court due to his earlier confessions about the beast and the castle…

            Laura. His precious daughter was being held captive by the beast in a tower in the castle. There was nothing that he could do about it right now. He had failed to protect his only daughter- his only child.

            “I failed her,” Sherman mumbled out unintentionally.

            “You did?”

            “I did, I shouldn’t have let take my place. I don’t know where she is, but she’s in danger somewhere and there’s nothing I can do about it. I have to help her somehow.”

            “You are helping her Sherman,” Ramon spoke softly. “You’re helping her by being here and trying to get better.”

            “No,” Sherman raised his voice. “I’m useless to her right now. I’m stuck in here when I should be out there looking for her. Looking for…”

            The castle, he almost said.

            “Looking for?”

            “Her,” Sherman said quickly.

            Another door slammed shut somewhere, louder this time and he jumped at the sound. He felt Ramon’s eyes watching him as his eye flitted around the room. It was definitely much darker in the room now. He needed to turn the lights on, but they were already on. He needed more light to make the room brighter. He could not get sucked into the darkness again.

            Ramon said something to him, but he couldn’t hear him. The ringing in his ears was getting louder. Then there was the smell of smoke. Smoke meant that there was a fire somewhere.

            “Do you smell that?” Sherman asked.

            Ramon studied him closely.

            “Did you hear me Sherman?” Ramon asked.

            “Sorry,” Sherman kept his eyes on the door. “What did you say?”

            “I asked if you knew where to look for Laura,” Ramon told him.

            “She’s in the castle, in a tower,” Sherman mumbled quietly.

            “Where? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

            Sherman looked up into Ramon’s eyes. Sherman’s eyebrow shot up in surprise and he almost fell back into his chair. Ramon’s eyes were stark red for a moment, but then when he blinked, they were brown again.

            “I can’t lie anymore,” Sherman growled. “I need to find my daughter and save her. She’s in danger, but I can’t do anything. I as much as a prisoner as she is right now. I shouldn’t be here.”

            “You can’t lie about what?” Ramon asked confused.

            “My daughter,” Sherman shouted and stood up from his chair. “She’s been kidnapped by a beast in a castle in the woods! No one believes me!”

            “Okay, Sherman,” Ramon slowly got up from his chair. “I think that’s enough for today. I’m going to talk to the pharmacy and we’re going to up your dosage. Right now, I just need you to sit back down.”

            “Sit down,” Sherman shouted again. “How can I sit down and do nothing while she’s out there, possibly dead or hurt? I can’t!”

            Ramon raised his hands in an attempt to calm him down. That’s when Sherman spotted his key card hanging off of his belt. A key to getting out of here. If he could just get his hands on it, then he could get himself out of here and save his daughter.

            “It’s okay Sherman, yes your daughter is in danger, but there are people out there looking for her, it’s alright,” Ramon spoke softly.

            “I’m sorry,” Sherman looked him in the eye.

            “It’s alrig-“

            Sherman grabbed the doctor by his coat, pulled him towards him and whipped him around so that his back was facing him. He wrapped arm around the doctor’s neck, placing his hand on his opposite shoulder. Ramon tried to shout but was cut off by Sherman pulling his arm tighter around the doctor’s neck. He took his other arm and slipped it behind the doctor’s neck and gripping around the side of the doctor’s neck.

            Then he flexed his muscles and pulled his arms tight. The doctor struggled against Sherman, trying to grab something, anything to stop Sherman. Sherman knew better though, he didn’t move and didn’t let go.

            He just had to wait now. Time seemed to be going by slowly.

            Finally, Ramon had stopped moving and fell limp against Sherman’s body. He slowly placed his body down on the ground, placing his fingers on his neck and his ear to his mouth. He was out and still breathing.

            Sherman quickly grabbed the key card from the belt. Silently, he slipped out of the room and kept his head down. He passed clueless nurses and doctors without issue. The key card was able to get him out of the corridors. He just had to find the exit.

            And there it was. The last gate to the lobby of the psych ward. He scanned the card, getting the green light and then he looked back down the corridor one more time. That was a mistake. A nurse that he recognized looked at him and they made eye contact.

            The nurse’s eyes went wide and started shouting for help.

            “Sherman,” the nurse yelled. “STOP!”

            Sherman quickly shut the gate and started running. There was an elevator right in front of him, but that would be too slow. Stairs, he needed the stairs.

            He briskly walked through the hallway, looking for the stairs sign. Just as he stopped it, he heard shouting behind him. He looked back and saw the nurse followed by security guards. The nurse pointed and the guards started running at him. One of them started speaking into a walkie talkie. They knew where he was.

            Sherman shoved the door the stairs to opened and started running down the stairs. He made it to the third floor before he heard shouts coming from above and below him. The door to the third floor was right in front of him. He pushed through it, finding himself on a new floor.

            He stopped running and quickly walked through the hallways. He had to find a different set of stairs and quickly or…

            Sherman pulled himself into the nearest open room, placing his body behind the door.

            He quickly looked around. There was a patient on the hospital bed, but she was snoring loudly. He didn’t have to worry about her right now.

            The sounds of running footsteps were coming closer to him now.

            “… third floor, check the other stairwells…”

            Sherman poked his head out from behind the door and watched the security guards run right past him. He realized that the snoring had stopped.

            “Excuse me?” the woman looked up groggily from her hospital.

            Sherman looked at her and put his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. She looked at him confused and before she could say anything, he slipped out of the room, heading back to the stairwell he had just exited.

            Keeping his head down and swiveling, he walked quickly towards the stairwell door. On his way, he grabbed a mask off the wall and placed it on his face.

            He slowly opened the stairwell door and listened. It was quiet. Without turning back, he slipped back into the stairwell and made his way down to the first floor. Almost there.

            He couldn’t help but smile at himself. Despite his old age, he still got it.

            Just cracking the first-floor door open, he looked with one eye through the door. There was a group of three guards standing in the center of the ER. They were standing to his left just near the ER desk. The exit was to his right.

            He shut the door for a moment, making sure that the hospital mask was still securely on his face. It wasn’t much a disguise considering he was still wearing the patient shirt and pants.

            Through cracking the door again, he waited. He watched all the people shuffling around the ER. Then he heard the sounds of a stairwell door opening. He needed to move soon.

            He heard the exit ER doors open, followed by the shouting of the paramedics, nurses and doctors. Through the chaos, he slipped out the door and headed straight for the exit.

            The exit was right in front of him, he could already see freedom ahead of him. Then more shouting occurred behind him just as the automatic doors opened. He turned his head to look behind him, the three guards starting to take chase.

            He smiled and then started running out the doors. The fresh air hit his face, but he didn’t stop running.

            There was shouting and lots of lights surrounding him. He started to hear ringing in his ear. Suddenly, there were two loud successive bangs.

            Sherman doubled over as his breath was taken away. Flashes of white light flooded his vision. Loud, explosive sounds filled his ears. Grenades. He quickly threw his body to the ground.

            Flashes of light continued to wipe across his eyes. Grenades and gunfire were ringing in his ears. He covered his ears, this wasn’t real. It was a trigger. He pulled his knees close to his body and started taking deep breathes.

            A rough hand pulled on his shoulder, he quickly looked up to see a large man looming over him. The man’s hand roughly pulled him by his shirt. Sherman took balled his fist the swung it around at the man’s face.

            Sherman felt the contact on his fist and the hand on his shirt let go. He tried to get to his feet, but he felt more hands grab him. Flashes of white turned to red, the ringing was turned into shouting.

            He swung his fists and legs around in an effort to get all of the hands off of his. He couldn’t stop fighting, he couldn’t let them take him away from Laura.

            His efforts because useless as he was rolled onto his stomach a knee of his back and arms pinned behind him. A cold, metal wrapped around his wrists.

            Tears started streaming down his face. He couldn’t get out the desert. They were going to take him away from his family. He was never going to see Laura ever again.

            He felt all the rough hands let go of his body. The only thing left was the knee on his back. He buried his face into the dirt. Laura, Laura, Laura. His poor daughter was in danger and there was nothing he could do.

            “Dad,” Sherman heard Laura’s voice shouting in the distance. “Dad!”

            He couldn’t stop the tears running down his face. He failed as a husband and now he was failing as a father.

            “Let him go,” he heard Laura’s voice shout again. “You don’t know what you’re doing! Leave him alone!”

            The pressure on his back lifted,.

            “Dad,” Laura’s voice said again. “Dad, look at me.”

            Sherman rolled over onto his back and sat up, tears streaming down his eyes. It was all coming back to him now. He was not in Afghanistan, he was at the hospital in Silas.

            He opened his eyes, vision was blurred with tears. Someone was standing over him, it was a woman with soft, gentle voice. She looked at lot like his late wife, Eileen. But as his vision adjusted, this woman was younger than his wife.

            “Laura…” he whispered.

            “I’m here Dad,” she whispered back.

            Not she wasn’t. He was hallucinating, just like he had hallucinated he flashes and the sounds of the grenades. She wasn’t here.

            “No, you’re not,” he whispered. “The beast has you…”

Chapter Text

            “You know what,” Laura said. “I have yet to see the ballroom and the throne room. You do have them, don’t you?”

            “Of course, we do cupcake,” Carmilla chuckled. “They’re one in the same. I’d be more than happy to show you. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t wandered into them yourself.”

            Laura squeezed Carmilla’s hand as Carmilla led her down the hallway away from the library and toward the main hall entrance.

            “Well, I haven’t really spent as much time as I’d like exploring the castle,” Laura added. “I didn’t think I needed to after you showed me the library.”

            That was white lie. She really did enjoy the library and thought it was wonderful, but it wasn’t so much that she had been spending more time in the library. It was more of the fact that she had spent most of her time with Carmilla over the past few days. She didn’t mind it though. Spending time with Carmilla was always worth it over spending it exploring the castle.

            “Well, the library has nothing on the ballroom,” Carmilla smiled at her. “It’s the grandest and largest room in the castle.”

            Laura pulled herself closer to Carmilla and placed her other hand around Carmilla’s bicep. She had felt herself getting touchier with Carmilla since their first hug this morning. Something changed during their time in Paris too.

            After they returned from Paris, Laura hadn’t let go of Carmilla’s embrace. She had stopped crying as soon as they returned, but they just sat in the library, holding each other. Carmilla’s arms wrapped comfortably, gingerly around her shoulders. Carmilla held her like she was afraid to break her, but it didn’t bother her. Laura had her arms wrapped around Carmilla’s waist, one fist clenched in the fabric of shirt and the other still clutching the letter from her mom and her ultrasound picture.

            Laura wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but today had been an emotional rollercoaster. She needed the contact, she needed Carmilla’s warmth wrapped around her. In those moments, she didn’t care where they were or who they were. She didn’t care about Carmilla being beast and the fact that she still held Laura’s freedom.

            It was only for those moments. As soon as Laura let go, she brought herself back to reality. It could have been so easy to forget it all, but she knew that she couldn’t. She still had her life and her dad back in Silas.

            Laura always kept her dad in back of her mind. She wondered what he was doing right now. It had been five days since she last saw him, five days since the last time she had talked to him. Honestly, she had been prepared for her dad to come find her sooner.

            A part of her didn’t want her dad to find her and bring her home. She wanted to give Carmilla the chance to let her choose, to give Laura her freedom back. Although, she wondered how Carmilla would react if he brought an angry mob to find her. She knew that she would be willing to stand in the middle and protect each side from each other. If Carmilla let her go soon, it wouldn’t have to come that though. She couldn’t imagine what that would look it if it came down to it.

            Laura mentally shook her head at herself. It had been one hell of a day and she didn’t want to think about it any further.

            Laura clung to Carmilla’s arm as they walked slowly through the castle. Carmilla stopped for a moment, in the middle of the entrance hall and looked around the room.

            “What?” Laura asked.

            Carmilla didn’t answer. She jerked her head the direction of the staircase and then let out a low growl, barring her fangs toward the stairs.

            “Carm,” Laura rubbed her arm. “What’s wrong?”

            Carmilla’s head didn’t turn to look at Laura for a moment, still glaring with her fangs barred in a certain direction.

            Laura slowly brought her hand up and gently ran her hand along Carmilla’s jawline. Carmilla’s glare disappeared and then continued walking towards the ballroom.

            “Imbeciles,” Carmilla muttered under her breath.

            “Oh my god Carm,” Laura rolled her eyes. “Who were you growling at?”

            Carmilla shook her head and flashed a small smile in her direction.

            “It was just some of my useless staff,” Carmilla grumbled. “They forget that I can hear most everything throughout the castle.”

            “Everything?” Laura squeaked.

            Laura knew that Carmilla had extraordinary abilities beyond humans, but she didn’t know how extensive they were. Not that she done anything to be embarrassed of, but she did snore sometimes when she slept.

            “Mostly,” Carmilla smirked. “It comes in handy. Helped me realize that the wolves in my territory that night.”

            Laura laughed awkwardly.

            “Honestly,” Carmilla continued. “Most of the time, when there’s nothing to do at night I just listened to the rustle of trees, the animals the scurry across the forest floor… and your heartbeat.”

            Laura looked at Carmilla’s face. She was looking at Laura shyly. Laura guessed that if she had blood running through her veins, there would be redness in her cheeks.

            “My heartbeat,” Laura questioned. “Why?”
            Carmilla continued to walk Laura through the castle.

            “It’s… comforting,” Carmilla choose. “It’s like music to my ears. I don’t have one so it’s nice to listen to something so human, so… normal.”

            “I remember you telling me in the music room that you could hear it,” Laura pulled the memory from the back of her mind. “I know you won’t hurt me, but… does it ever make you… hungry?”

            Carmilla shook her head with a small smile.

            “No cupcake,” Carmilla squeezed her hand. “Actually, the opposite. Like I said, it’s comforting.”

            Laura gave her an unsure smile. She didn’t exactly know what that meant. It had to mean something to Carmilla. Laura knew all about Carmilla’s fear of hurting someone like she had in her past. This had to be a big deal to Carmilla. Her heartbeat made Carmilla feel the opposite of hunger without tasting it…

            Carmilla stopped walking and Laura felt Carmilla’s hand lift up her chin to look up at the room.

            They were finally in the ballroom. Carmilla had been right. The library had nothing on the ballroom. This was the single largest and grandest room in the castle.

            It was a large oval room. A giant wall of windows was at the end of the room. In front of the window, there were two large chairs elevated by at least four feet, small stairs leading up to them. Eight Large, elegant, diamond chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Greek pillars lined the two opposite sides of the room and behind them, the floor was slightly elevated- not as high as the thrones of course. Banners hung from each pillar, Carmilla’s royal crest on each one of them.

            Laura had detangled herself from Carmilla to get a closer look at the royal crest. It was in the shape of an elegant, dark purple and blue shield. Two panthers on their hind legs faced each other, their paws wrapped around a sword. One large, crown sat on the top of the shield symbol. Leaves were sprouting from behind the shield, stretching outward from the shield.

            “It’s beautiful,” Laura breathed.

            “The royal Karnstein crest,” Carmilla nodded at it. “I think know where the enchantress got the panther idea.”

            “Karnstein?” Laura asked.

            “That’s my last name sweetheart,” Carmilla smiled. “Our family was actually known for our infamous, Karnstein charm.”

            “Hmmm… Well then you must not be a Karnstein,” Laura teased.

            Carmilla pretended to be offended.

            “Excuse me cutie, but you did not see me in my prime,” Carmilla smirked.

            “Oh, I bet you were something,” Laura laughed.

            “I was a very charming child,” Carmilla scoffed. “Then things happened, and I became a manipulative asshole that acted and looked like charm. Now… I don’t even know anymore. I haven’t been around people in… a very long time.”

            Laura watched Carmilla’s face fall to the ground, her lips pursed. She brought up her thumb to her lips, thinking about something. Laura couldn’t tell what Carmilla was thinking.

            “Hey, hey,” Laura walked over and grabbed her arm, removing her thumb from her lips. “None of that. Your past is your past Carm, don’t dwell on it right now.”

            Carmilla cocked her head at her and gave her a small smile.

            “Okay cutie, I won’t do… that. Whatever that is.”

            Laura walked backwards from Carmilla, towards the center of the ballroom. She tore her eyes from Carmilla’s and looked up at the ceiling. It was littered with gold carvings. There were leaves, flowers, panthers and deer all over. Old buildings like these were so incredibly. The architecture was so well planned out and so detailed.

            Everything about this room screamed royalty and perfection.

            Laura could picture the room packed with people. Everyone lining the walls, leaving the center open for dancing. She could see a king and queen watching from their thrones. Then the king would get up, offer his hand to his queen and escort her to the dance floor. Everyone in the room would hold their breath as their rulers danced by themselves. Then she could imagine a prince or princess, joining their parents on the dance floor, and soon everyone was joining in.

            She wondered what it would be like to have such an event like that now these days. Times were so different from when Carmilla was set to ruler her kingdom. There wasn’t even royalty in Canada anymore.

            Laura closed her eyes and pictured herself in a beautiful dress surrounded by people. They weren’t judging her, they weren’t calling her a ‘funny girl’. She was just a girl, dancing on the ballroom floor.

            There was no music, but she started moving her feet along the floor. She and her dad had taken dances class one summer a long time ago. There were many things she didn’t remember about it, but she could remember the basic movements.

            Laura felt a hand connect with hers and the other hand wrap around her waist. She stopped her movements.

            “You’ve almost got it cupcake,” Laura heard Carmilla whisper in her ear. “You just need a good lead.”

            Laura opened her eyes to see Carmilla in front of her with a smirk on her face.

            “I personally think that the lead needs a good follower,” Laura teased. “You could be a good lead, but a former could continually step on your toes.”

            Carmilla smiled and shook her head. She released herself from Laura and took a step back. Her eyes raked Laura up and down. There was a glint in her eye that told Laura she had an idea. Laura wasn’t sure she wanted to know what it was when Carmilla was looking at her like she was picturing her in something else other than her winter sweats.

            “Would you,” Carmilla bowed to her. “like to join me tonight for a night of dinner and dancing?”

            Laura tiled her head and raised an eyebrow at her.

            “Hmmm… Now what would a night like that look like?”

            Carmilla stood up from her bow and stepped closer to Laura. She placed a gently her right hand on Laura’s right shoulder, leaning into Laura’s ear.

            “Well,” Carmilla purred into her. “We would both return to our rooms here in a moment. Each of us would get dressed up in elegant, royal ball outfits. I would plan to meet you at the top of stairs and then escort you to the dining hall where my staff would have a large, fancy feast prepared just for you. After you eat all the food you can, I would take your hand and bring you here. Music would play and we could dance the night away.”

            Carmilla’s husky voice tickled against Laura’s ear. Laura’s jaw went slack, and she felt large chills run down her spine.

            “We-Ye-I-,” Laura couldn’t bring her tongue to working properly.

            “What’s that cupcake?” she asked innocently and pulled away from Laura to more of a respectable distance.

            “Yup,” Laura smiled to widely at her. “Yup, yup. Sounds good- great buddy. I can’t wait. I think I’m- you know- go to my… my room here- now. And I’ll see you later!”

            Laura avoided looking at Carmilla as she quickly walked out of the ballroom. She could hear Carmilla chuckling. Her face was probably entirely flush with redness.

            “Stupid, sexy vampire,” Laura mumbled under her breath. “Karnstein charm…”

---------

            Carmilla leaned back against the bath tub, a permanent smirk plastered on her face. She had certainly shown Laura what the infamous Karnstein charm was. It only served her right to challenge her like that.

            Laura was such a dork, but it was incredibly cute and endearing. Carmilla had never thought in a million years she would have fallen for such a dork.

            Hold up. Carmilla quickly sat up in her tub. She was falling for the dork. This couldn’t be… happening. Laura was only supposed to be here for company when the curse blanketed her life forever. She couldn’t be falling in love with her. She didn’t even know what falling in love was like, but this couldn’t be it…

            But every time she thought about Laura something warm flowed in her chest. She couldn’t imagine her life without Laura. Laura was sunshine. She was Carmilla’s sun. Everything in her life had felt cold and dark until the day Laura walked into her life.

            She’s a stubborn, head-strong, emotional, naïve girl, but… also sweet, kind, she looks to see the best in people. Laura faces her fears with head-on determination rather than cowardice. She was the first person in the last three hundred years who didn’t put up with her shit. She challenged Carmilla, constantly and sure, it could be annoying and frustrating for Carmilla, but it was also refreshing.

            Laura believed that at her worst, Carmilla still deserved the good in the world. Laura had seen her at her worst more than once and she seemed to accept that part of her despite everything. Somehow, Laura not only saw the better parts of her, she managed to pull those parts out into the light.

            Laura made her a better person, she wanted to be better for Laura. Carmilla wondered if this is what love felt like. She was falling in love with Laura and the thought put a smile on her face.

            But Carmilla didn’t know how Laura felt. There’s no way that Laura could be in love with her. She was still a beast. Maybe after everything, she still didn’t deserve love and to be loved. Her past was still riddled with darkness.

            However, Laura knew all about her past, the darkest parts of it and still wanted to be around here. She did want to be around Carmilla right?

            Then it hit her hard. Technically Laura was still her because Carmilla was keeping her here. It made it hard for Carmilla to discern if Laura was around because she had feelings for her or because she had no choice.

            It had been so easy to forget than Laura was still-technically-a prisoner here. Carmilla had been so caught up in Laura that she had forgotten that Laura had a life outside of the castle. She had her studies and her father… Her father who probably would never forgive her for everything that she did.

            A possible relationship was slowly seeming impossible. If there were no obstacles in their way, it seemed like they really could have something together. Then the obstacles start piling up.  Today had just been them and Carmilla felt like she had been on top of the world until now.

            Maybe dinner and dancing wasn’t a good idea. She had to wonder… If she let Laura go, would she come back? A part of her feared that everything Laura was doing was to gain her favor so she could leave here and never look back. The other part of her had hope that Laura had actual feelings for her.

            For the first time in a long time, she had hope and it would either lift her up or crush her. Her rose was on its last legs. She still refused to tell Laura how the curse was supposed to be broken. If anything was going to happen, Carmilla wanted it to be real.

            “Your majesty,” she heard LaFontaine call from behind the door. “We have everything set up for your beautiful evening. How are you feeling?”

            “I haven’t danced in years LaFontaine,” Carmilla growled. “I have never attempted to seriously court someone in my entire life. How do you think I feel?”

            “Okay, okay,” LaFontaine opened up the door, hopping into the room. “Stupid question, master, I am so sorry.”

            Carmilla had made many attempts to court someone. Not seriously though. It was always about gaining their secrets, gaining power and money. None of it was ever real. Not like it was with Laura. Laura had no secrets, no power or money to offer and it didn’t matter to Carmilla. Laura was just… Laura- a ray of sunshine in the dark.

            Behind them, Will, Kirsch, Perry and Mrs. Potts entered the room.

            “I thought that you could use some help tonight master,” LaFontaine offered enthusiastically.

“We want you to look your best tonight,” Will smiled at her “And well… we want the best for you. Laura… She seems so good for you.”

            “Will,” Carmilla sighed out. “She’s almost too good for me. It just all seems too good to be true.”

            Will hopped up on the counter next to the tub.

            “We’ve talked about this dear sister,” Will whispered to her. “You’ve seen the way she acts and talks around you. You know how she feels and well… I hate to break it to you sis, but love is hard. You’ll have to work at it.”

            Carmilla sighed.

            “And how would you know that?” Carmilla questioned him.

            Will laughed.

            “Very funny sis. I haven’t fallen in love, but I have eyes.”

            “Everyone has eyes Will,” Carmilla rolled hers. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

            “I’ve seen her around you sis,” Will continued. “Anyone with eyes can see that she has feelings for you.”

            Carmilla just nodded at him. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. She just couldn’t see how Laura would have feelings for her. All of her self-doubt was constantly raging in her mind. She couldn’t stop it. The only thing that quieted it… was when she was with Laura.

            “We’re all curious here, master,” Kirsch spoke up. “How did you come to ask her to a dinner and dance?”

            Carmilla smiled, picturing Laura in the ballroom.

            “We were in the ballroom,” Carmilla started, not being help to the large smile on her face. “She was standing the middle of the room, lighting up with entire room. She was so bright, so beautiful. As she danced with her eyes closed, I placed myself in front of her, her hand in mine, other hand around her waist and we didn’t move. I took a step back and then I saw it.

            “I saw her and I, dancing in the ballroom together- music playing and even if the room was full of people, I wouldn’t see anyone but her. I pictured her in the most beautiful dress, and she was looking at me with… wonder. I looked her in the eye, took a bow and asked her if she would join me tonight for a night of dinner and dancing.

“At first, she looked so confused I thought she was going to say no, but then after explaining what it was, she actually said yes! I don’t know what I am thinking?”

            “No, master,” LaFontaine shouted. “It’s perfect! The rose only has two petals left. Which means tonight… you must tell her how you feel.”

            “No,” Carmilla growled. “I won’t let the curse dictate when I tell her how I feel.”

            Carmilla gestured for her towel and Perry flew it over to her. The staff turns away for a moment as she wraps the towel around her body.

            “But, master,” LaFontaine insisted.

            “No, LaF,” she growled. “I don’t care about the curse anymore. I know you do, and I feel for you, but I can’t let it run my relationship with Laura. I want to break this curse as much as you, but… I can’t- I won’t let it dictate my relationship with Laura. It’s already fragile enough.”

            They all grew silent.

            “Wow,” Kirsch spoke. “You really love her, don’t you?”

            Carmilla eyed them through the reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t sure if she was in love with Laura. She knew that she was falling in love with her. In fact, she didn’t even know if those were different things. She wasn’t about to ask her staff if knew the difference though

            “I feel like a fool,” Carmilla opted to ignore Kirsch’s question. “She will never love me.”

            Carmilla moves to the privacy screen, away from her staff to put on a rose lace, black bra with matching underwear. She pulled on her royal, tight fitting black trousers

            “Sister,” Will said sympathetically. “Do not be discouraged.”

            Carmilla removed her privacy screen and sat herself down in front of the mirror. She avoided looking directly into the mirror. Seeing her own reflection made only made her even more nervous about tonight. She was hideous.

            Her staff was determined though to try to help her look her best, no matter her protests. It had been such a long time since she voluntarily sat in front of a mirror.

            “She is the one,” LaFontaine sang around her as they opened up her makeup drawer.

            “I wish people would stop saying that,” Carmilla said in a low roar. “There is no one.”

            Perry whooshed over next to LaFontaine as they gauged how to do Carmilla’s makeup. She hadn’t worn makeup in over two hundred years. She had used it once in her beastly form to try and hard all the flaws, the scars, the veins, but it never worked. Every vein, every scar was still visible with makeup on.

            “You care for her, no,” LaFontaine asked. “Then you woo her with a candlelight dinner and beautiful music…”

            “Then when the moment is right…” Perry continued.

            Carmilla raised her eyebrow at LaFontaine and Perry. It was like they were just expecting her to know when the right time was. She had felt like there was never going to be a right time. For God sakes, this was her first time truly courting a woman. Not just any woman no less, Laura.

            “But how will I know?” she huffed in frustration.

            “You will feel slight nauseous,” Will said with an apologetic smile.

            “Don’t worry, master,” Kirsch excitedly. “You’ll do just fine. Just follow your heart.”

            “Oh stop this nonsense,” Perry interjected. “Just stop being a coward and tell how you feel because if you don’t do it tonight, you’ll be living a house covered in dust.”

            “In the dark,” LaFontaine added.

            “With cold tea,” Mrs. Potts said next.

            “Dark and very, very dusty,” LaFontaine emphasized.

            There was a short moment of silence then Perry flew above Carmilla’s head holding a large brush. She started to brush through Carmilla’s long, strung out hair.

            “That’s not going to do much,” Carmilla growled as she felt the brush pulling on her hair.

            “Oh, just give me a minute,” Perry shushed her.

            Carmilla snarled as Perry continued to pull on the tangles in her hair. It was very uncomfortable and Carmilla had tried so hard to comb it out before. It always remained the same though- unruly, out of control and sticking off in random directions. She glanced at the mirror for a moment. She could hardly remember what it what like to have her hair done nicely.

            The feeling of someone messing with her hands, made her look away from the mirror and at her hands. Mrs. Potts had a small brush and was using it to polish her claws.

            Carmilla sighed. No matter how much work the staff put in, they couldn’t hide what she was. Laura wouldn’t care though. She had seen Carmilla at her worst, so it didn’t really matter. However, her staff had insisted on trying polish her up for this dinner. If Carmilla was being honest, she kind of missed being pampered like this.

            She shook her head. It was things like this that she had taken advantage previously in her life. It wasn’t a right, it was a privilege. To be a ruler wasn’t a right as she had believed it be. Being a ruler was about the people and not yourself, it was a privilege to serve a kingdom. It was something she had wished she had realized much, much sooner.

            “Please try to relax your majesty,” Mrs. Potts spoke.

            Carmilla didn’t even realize that she was digging her claws into the vanity table. She took a breath and let the tension in her hands go. Mrs. Potts looked satisfied enough.

            “Let’s brush those pearly whites!” Will said with enthusiasm.

            Kirsch immediately whirled over with a toothbrush in hand. He brought it up to her face and shoved it into her mouth without waiting for Carmilla to open up her mouth. Reluctantly, she barred her teeth and let Kirsch go to work.

            Perry was still working on her, clearly frustrated with the tangles. Her hair looked like a giant poof now.

            Kirsch finished brushing her teeth, she spit out the liquid and rinsed it all out. As soon as she was finished, LaFontaine was up on the vanity with makeup in hand. They started making marks on her face.

            They finally finished after a while, but when Carmilla looked up, she growled at her appearance. They had actually managed to make her look worse.

            Her hair was a giant, frizzy poof, her face was caked in way too much makeup. Of course, the black veins and burn scars were still peeking through it all.

            “How did you manage to make me look worse?” Carmilla growled at her staff.

            “OK,” LaFontaine squeaked. “We can fix this.”

---------

            Laura stared at her reflection in the mirror. Elise was the only one in her room helping her get ready for the dinner. Laura had to wonder where the rest of the staff was. She couldn’t imagine that Carmilla would want much help with getting ready.

            Elise had put on some subtle makeup. Laura didn’t wear makeup too often. Elise had put on a thin layer of foundation, making some remarks on how nice her skin was. After going through a hard few years of acne in high school, she did her best to keep her skin clear and taken care of.

            Her eyes had some gold and brown tone eyeshadow around them, but it wasn’t too much. It was enough to make her hazel eyes pop and sparkle, the flecks of green in her eyes coming out. She had also added a thin line of eyeliner and some mascara on her eyelashes. A little of blush on her cheeks and some contour to define her cheekbones.

            Elise smiled at her work and then started on her hair. She used a curling iron to start with and curled every piece of her hair. Then she pinned up some of the hair on her sides and brought them up into an intricate bun.

            Laura tried to follow what she was doing. Maybe she could replicate it one day.

            Elise grabbed a yellow ribbon and tied it into and around the bun. It really brought out and framed her face nicely. Laura could have never thought to do something like this before. The last time she had really gotten dressed up was for her senior prom. Even then, she had just barely curled it.

            “Hmmm… I think that we are done here,” Elise took a step back from the vanity.

            She had a triumphant smile.

            Laura couldn’t believe that Elise had done such a good job. It felt odd being pampered like this. No one had ever put this much effort into making her look nice. She never really cared too much for it but looking at the mirror now made her realize how nice she looked with her hair and makeup all done up.

            Elise walked away towards the full-length mirror and motioned Laura to follow her. She handed Laura a fancy ballgown and waited for her to put it on.

            She made a few adjustments after Laura had it on.

            Laura twirled around in the mirror. Elise had given her a very fancy golden yellow dress. It fit snuggly against her chest and waist, with a large skirt starting at her hips, flowing nicely to the floor.

            “You look magnificent,” Elise cried. “I couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful. I have done great work.”

            Laura blushed and looked at the mirror again. She couldn’t believe how beautiful the dress was. She had never worn anything so fancy in her life. It made her feel like a princess.

            “It’s missing something though,” Elise said as she circled Laura.

            Laura followed Elise’s eyes as she looked up. There was some dust coming down from the ceiling. As the dust fell, it glinted against the moonlight, glowing and sparkling.

            “I got it!” Elise exclaimed.

            Elise circled around Laura some more and with a sweep of her arm, the dust started to sparkle and shine, turning into a golden glitter. It shined and settled on the skirt of Laura’s gown. It fell onto her gown with some golden lines that led into sophisticated rose patterns.

            In the light of the room, the dust glittered nicely and subtly on the ballgown.

            Elise took a step back and marveled at Laura.

            “There it is, now it is perfect! You look so amazing my dear. Her majesty won’t be able to keep her eyes off of you!”

            Laura blushed and looked at the finished look in the mirror.

            She had to admit, she really did look beautiful. She looked so much like a princess ready for her first ball.

Chapter Text

            Carmilla sat nervously at the top of the stairs in the west wing. Thankfully, after the first makeover disaster, the staff was able to actually make her look nicer. It didn’t do much against her normal appearance, but it did make her look a little less beastly.

            Perry had managed to straighten and curl her hair, so it didn’t look like such a ruffled mess. Carmilla insisted that LaFontaine use very little makeup, despite their protests. A light layer of foundation- which really didn’t do much- some brown toned eyeshadow, eyeliner and some mascara. It improved her face a little bit, but against her veins and scars, you could hardly tell the difference.

            Will had dressed her in one of her old fancy, purple and gold tailor coat and a gold dress shirt with black trousers that had a gold line down the side. It was the colors of her kingdom and she had felt a little off about wearing it. She really didn’t have a kingdom anymore. Last time she had worn something like this was the ball that the enchantress had cursed her.

            This wasn’t like that at all though. There was no one except Laura here. She wasn’t entertaining a massive amount of royalty from all over the country. It was just her and Laura.

            Carmilla was wondering what was taking Laura so long, but then realized that her staff had been so focused on her, that Laura had hardly anyone to help her. She should have told her staff to help Laura get ready rather than herself.

            Finally, Carmilla heard the room to Laura’s door open, followed by footsteps. The footsteps were a little unsure as they walked, but then fell into a comfortable rhythm. She could hear Laura’s heart beating and getting closer. It was beating rather fast. Carmilla hoped that it was nervousness and not fear.

            Then Carmilla saw her.

            Laura was the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on and Carmilla thought it was impossible for her to be more beautiful. She was so wrong. Laura looked absolutely stunning as she approached the top of the steps in the east wing.

            Her blonde hair seemed to glow in the light of the castle and her dress just gleamed and glittered so beautifully on her. She had a nervous smile on her face that lit up the room. Her smile was so bright and so amazing, Carmilla couldn’t help but smile back at her.

            Laura’s big, beautiful hazel eyes locked onto hers and Carmilla was glad she didn’t need to breathe. Otherwise, her breathe would’ve been blown away.

            It didn’t matter that Laura didn’t get as much help getting ready as Carmilla did. She didn’t need it. She was so naturally beautiful that all that needed to be done was accentuate it, but even then, that was hardly hard.

            Carmilla had to remind herself not to gawk like a silly, young princess at her first ball. This wasn’t her first-time dancing, but it was her first time inviting one woman for dinner and dancing. She was glad it was with Laura.

            She smoothed her tailor coat and composed herself. This was all new for her. She really had no idea what she was doing, but she had to look confident in front of Laura. She mustered all the courage and pushed down the nervousness.

            Laura was looking at her from the other side of the room, her face had a smile, but there was something else there too. It was a look Carmilla had seen before, but couldn’t read it.

            Carmilla started walking down the steps towards Laura and Laura followed her pace. The met in landing on the middle. Carmilla held her hand out. Laura took it and Carmilla bent over at a slight bow, kissing the top her hand.

            She let in linger for a moment before releasing her lips and straightening herself up.

            Laura’s face was completely red. It was the exact reaction that Carmilla was going for and it always made Carmilla elated that she could get reactions like that out of her.

            “You look amazing,” Carmilla spoke. “You’re so beautiful.”

            Carmilla had put tried to put as much truth and genuine awe in her voice as she could. She hoped that Laura got the message. Laura was a most beautiful sight. Carmilla would take staring at her all night rather than anything else, including the stars. Laura was the sun. The biggest, brightest star in the universe.

Laura averted her gaze for a moment, her face getting slightly redder. Then, she looked back up like she found her courage and looked Carmilla in the eye.

            “You clean up very nicely yourself,” Laura smiled. “You look beautiful too.”

            Carmilla smirked. She couldn’t really believe Laura considering her beastly features, but the way she said it, made her want to believe her. Instead of arguing with her or making a sarcastic comment about it, Carmilla just gave her guided her down the stairs towards the dining hall.

            “Are you hungry?” Carmilla asked.

            “Omigod, yes,” Laura exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see what JP has prepared for dinner tonight.”

            Carmilla chuckled as she opened the door to the dining hall for Laura. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see in the dining hall, but it certainly wasn’t what she saw.

            The fireplace was ablaze. There were lights strung across the ceiling, dimmed just slightly and candles sat in the center of the dining table. The candles were surrounded by roses from her garden. A bottle of champagne was chilling in an ice bucket next to two champagne glasses. The table was set with the fancy set of tableware. Instead of their place setting being across from each on the long table, Carmilla’s chair was placed normally and Laura’s chair was right around the corner, closer than normal.

            Peter was in the corner of the room playing on his keys, while LaFontaine played the violin. It was a soft tune, no voices, just to set some background music.

            Carmilla shut the door softly and rejoined her hand with Laura’s. She guided Laura to her chair. Kirsch was waiting there again, but Carmilla waved him off. She pulled Laura’s chair out for her and pushed in slightly as she sat down.

            “Why thank you Miss Karnstein,” Laura smiled.

            Carmilla didn’t know how to speak. She was still so stunned by Laura’s appearance and then the appearance of the dining hall, her mind just went blank when she tried to think of the appropriate response back.

            So, she nodded and then took her seat next to Laura.

            Carmilla had never any thought to the length of the dining hall table until now. She was glad that her staff had set it up the way they did. If Laura had been sat across the long table from her, Carmilla wouldn’t have liked that as much. It would have been too far away; this distance was perfect.

            “This is so wonderful,” Laura spoke. “I can’t believe that you arranged all of this for me.”

            “Well,” Carmilla sighed. “I can’t take the credit for this. This was all of my staff’s doing. I trusted them with all of this, and I can’t say that I’m disappointed.”

            Laura laughed.

            “I’ll be sure to tell them about your compliment.”

            “I didn’t say anything like that,” Carmilla joked. “I said that I’m not disappointed.”

            “Come on Carm,” Laura coaxed. “Tell me how you really feel about it.”

            Carmilla shook her head and smirked.

            “Fine, but you must not tell them I said such things.”

            “I can’t promise that,” Laura sang.

            Carmilla pretended to contemplate it for a moment. She was going to tell Laura either way, but she thought that if Laura was going to play games, she would play right back.

            “I think that it’s very lovely,” Carmilla stated. “I believe that they did a wonderful job with all of it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

            “There,” Laura smiled at her. “Was that so hard?”

            Carmilla laughed. It was easy to tell Laura these things. Now, if she had to say it to LaFontaine or Will’s face… She probably would have to resist the urge to gag. But right now, she just felt calm and relaxed. Laura’s presence did that to her.

            She was about to reply to Laura, but then the kitchen doors swung open and JP came out with some plates and a small cup.

            “Your majesty. Miss Hollis,” he said and bowed to Carmilla before bowing to Laura. “I have your first course of the night. For you, Miss Laura, I have some lemony mushroom crostini with shallot and chive boursin. And for you, your majesty, just a small cup of your usual.”

            Laura licked her lips as JP placed the plate in front of her. Carmilla was glad that JP could still cook well despite not being able to taste his own creations. It was funny though that Laura would be getting different things throughout the dinner and Carmilla would be stuck with the same thing. For the first time, Carmilla didn’t mind though. She just wanted Laura to enjoy the dinner, that was all that mattered to her.

            Carmilla started sipping on her “appetizer” while Laura took some of the little pieces of bread and placed it on her small plate.

            She couldn’t help but smile as Laura’s awe as she took a bite of the food.

            “Good?” Carmilla asked.

            “JP’s food is never not amazing,” Laura responded. “I’ll have to get him to teach me how to make all of this. It would be great to know.”

            “I’m sure that JP would love to have some company in the kitchen. Better you than me in there anyways, I’d just be a disaster.”

            “No, I think you could do a great job,” Laura said before eating another piece.

            “I was a disaster,” Carmilla mumbled to herself, recalling her little adventure with pancakes in the kitchen.

            Carmilla looked up and saw the Laura was giving her a confused look.

            “What did you say?” Laura asked.

            “Oh nothing,” Carmilla sheepishly smiled and then sipped her drink.

            Laura quirked her eyebrow but didn’t ask any further questions. Her mouth was suddenly preoccupied with more of the food that JP had given her.

            After Laura had finished her appetizer, JP brought out pineapple baked salmon for her main entrée. Carmilla had never heard of mixing such things during her time, but from the look on Laura’s face it must have been really good.

            They sat and talked. Laura did most of the talking. She rattled on about her studies and how much she was liking her journalism classes. Her teachers were impressed with her for keeping up with everything despite not physically being in class.

            It reminded Carmilla that was something she was going to change. After tonight, after she tells Laura how she feels, she’s going to let her go. She was absolutely terrified that Laura would go and never come back, but it was the only thing she could do.

            Carmilla was falling for the woman in front of her and there was no real relationship with her if Carmilla was keeping her here and from the outside world. That was just wrong. It was wrong to deprive Laura the wonders of the world and it was wrong for the world to deprived of Laura. She was such a beautiful person inside and out; the world would be much darker without her out and about in it.

            After Laura talked about her classes, she started talking about some of the books that she had read or come across. Carmilla answered some questions about the books because she had already read all of the ones Laura mentioned. Laura still couldn’t believe the number of books that Carmilla read.

             Desert came quickly after dinner. JP had crafted his infamous and Laura’s favorite creampuffs. Even though Carmilla couldn’t taste real food like she used to, she couldn’t deny that they did look really good.

            Laura asked Carmilla if she could play something while she ate her desert. Carmilla couldn’t say no- especially when Laura started giving her, her best pouty face.

            Carmilla sat on the piano bench and played one song on Peter for Laura. She had decided to play something a little more upbeat than she normally wanted to play. The room was filled with the classic sound of Frederic Chopin’s nocturne in an E flat major.

            She was so glad that Laura reminded her how much she loved playing music. It was still painful to play and think of her father, but with Laura around, it was less painful and more pleasant. It made Carmilla feel happy again. Instead of reminding herself of the pain of loss, she reminded herself about the good times and happiness that music with her father had brought her as a child.

            Laura was standing next to the piano, finishing the last of her creampuffs when Carmilla had finished the song.

            Carmilla looked up and smiled at her. Laura was looking at her in amazement. She hadn’t felt this happy playing music since she had lost her father. It was refreshing and it made Carmilla feel more human than she had ever felt in the past two hundred years or so.

            “You done with your desert there, cupcake?” Carmilla asked.

            “I sure am,” Laura replied with a smile.

            “Well then,” Carmilla stood up and placed her out. “Would you do me the honor, Miss Hollis, of joining me in a dance in the ballroom?”

            For some reason, her nervousness came back. She had to make sure her hand was still. She was calm around Laura, but her nerves were firing off right now. Laura had already said yes before all of this to dancing, but the idea that Laura could still reject her was in the back of her mind. It was always in the back of her mind, the rejection.

            Her nerves were only calmed slightly when Laura took her outstretched hand.

            “Yes, Queen Karnstein,” Laura drawled. “I would.”

            Laura laughed at herself. Carmilla just shook her head and led her out the dining hall and into the ballroom.

            Everything in the ballroom glinted against the lights and moonlight. It all looked so shiny and polished, even the thrones had been cleaned and were gleaming in the light. Her staff must have work so diligently to get everything ready for tonight. After all, she had only given them a few hours’ notice. She suddenly felt the need to thank them and show them her appreciation. Not once had she ever done such a thing, but this… This wasn’t just about her. They had done all of this for Laura and for that, she felt the impulse to thank them.

            She didn’t feel completely disgusted about the thought of thanking them for this. This was a different feeling for her.

            Carmilla escorted her to the center of the ballroom, let go of her hand and took a step back. She bowed to Laura and Laura curtsied back.

            “You know how to dance cupcake?” Carmilla asked.

            She knew that Laura must have had some idea because of the way she had danced by herself in this very room a few hours earlier, but she didn’t know the extent of her knowledge. It didn’t matter though, Carmilla was a fairly decent dancer back in her day. Now, hopefully, she could remember it all.

            “Some,” Laura replied. “I took dance lessons with my dad one summer. I think I can manage to give you a decent dance partner.”

            Carmilla chuckled.

            “So, is this what you kids did for fun back in the 1700s?” Laura joked.

            “Sometimes,” Carmilla smiled and shrugged with her hands up. “I can’t imagine you would do anything much different from what I did. We drank a lot, danced like fools. Waltzing was the most fun. It had a… frisson scandal back then.”

            “How is waltzing scandalous?” Laura threw her head back in disbelief.

            “Well…”

            Carmilla looked over towards the east side of the ballroom. On one of the platforms underneath the Greek pillars, her staff was waiting with their instruments. She nodded at them. Waltzing music started to play. Carmilla stepped forward and reached her hand out which Laura took without question.

            “Partners were face to face,” Carmilla said as she looked Laura in the eye, slowly placing their joined hands in the air.

            “Chest to chest,” she continued, reaching out and pulling Laura in towards her. Their bodies were pushed together as Carmilla held her hand around Laura’s lower back. Laura had placed her hand around Carmilla’s upper arm.

            They were so close. Carmilla could see flecks on green popping out in Laura’s eyes. She could see the gold and brown tones of the eyeshadow she had put on earlier. Laura’s lips were covered in a thin layer of a soft pink lip gloss. She could count all the little crinkles in her nose and eyes as she smiled. Everything about her was glowing, even more so now that Carmilla was closer to her.

            Carmilla started to lead them in a slow waltz around the room. Laura let her lead and followed with all the right moves.

            “All of that whirling,” Carmilla said in a low voice.

            She whirled Laura around a few times, then brought Laura back into her hold, hand once again, placed around her lower back.

            “In the 1700s, it may as well have been sex,” Carmilla continued to move her and Laura around the room.

            Laura laughed a little.

            “So, you had some fun after all?” Laura squeaked.

            Carmilla hummed.

            “Once or twice,” Carmilla responded. “I wasn’t so much focused on the fun part after my father passed.”

            “Right,” Laura breathed out. “I’m sorry Carm.”

            Carmilla slowed their dancing to a stop. This wasn’t what she meant to do when she answered that question. She had to change the topic. She didn’t want to focus on anything to bring down the mood.

            “Don’t worry about it cutie,” Carmilla smiled. “I’m having fun now.”

            Laura beamed at her.

            “Now, why don’t I show you some real ballroom dancing,” Carmilla smirked.

            “Real ballroom dancing?”

            Carmilla looked back over to her staff with their instruments and LaFontaine gave her a small nod. Thankfully, they knew exactly what to play and Carmilla didn’t have to walk all the way over there to tell them.

            A different tune started to fill the brightly polished walls. It was slower and less upbeat than the previous tune. It was a softer tone, Carmilla liked it better than the last sharper tune.

            Carmilla smiled and then started to move with Laura around the ballroom once again. This time, she was softer with her lead, but took to using more space in the ballroom. Sweeping Laura, around each corner of the room, she wanted to show Laura her best and have a good time.

            Carmilla did her best to be careful, gentle and graceful as she led Laura around. She had to remember that she had a lot of strength than Laura did, and she wouldn’t let that get away from her.

            It seemed that the lights in the ballroom grew a little dimmer. The music in her ears, all Carmilla could see was Laura. She was everything in Carmilla’s eyes. In a matter of days, Laura had shown her a different side to the people of this world, a different side of herself that she hadn’t seen in centuries. Nothing existed but Laura in this moment.

            This woman was the only thing that occupied her thoughts over the last days. Laura had changed everything in Carmilla’s perspective. Even if she remained a beast of the rest of her days, she would have this, this moment. It made her realize how much of a better person she could’ve been, how much she could be.

            Laura had everything in a person that Carmilla believed to be weakness, but she was the strongest person Carmilla had ever known. She showed Carmilla the truth about the world, about herself. She only hoped that she could do the same for Laura. One day, if Laura was still around, she would show her the world. As much as she could from the library at least then she would help Laura fulfill her dreams of traveling, even if Carmilla couldn’t accompany her.

            They reached the center of room again and Carmilla placed both of her hands on Laura’s waist and lifted her up. Laura laughed as she held her arms out, Carmilla spinning her around above her.

            Before her transformation, she had only done this a few times with much struggle, but it was so easy right now. She was glad that she could do this for Laura.

            Carmilla brought her back down and sensed that the song was ending soon. She whirled her around and then dipped her backward just as the song ended.

            They sat there for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes. Carmilla didn’t want to break the moment, but she knew Laura couldn’t stay there all night. She lowered her head, closed her eyes and brought her lips to Laura’s forehead, kissing it softly.

            She heard Laura’s breath hitch and her heartbeat pick up. Then she removed her lips from Laura’s forehead and pulled her back up. She let go of the lower back but held onto her hand.

            Without a word, Carmilla guided Laura to the windows behind the thrones to reveal to Laura a large balcony looking out onto the Silas forest.

            Carmilla placed her hand that wasn’t in Laura’s on the stone railing and looked out upon the forest. Even though she couldn’t feel too hot or cold, she could feel that the temperature was comfortable tonight. The stars shined high in the night sky and Carmilla felt relaxed, happy… hopeful. She allowed herself to embrace these feelings, tonight could be the last night anyways.

            For the moment, she was feeling hopeful about everything. She wasn’t scared to be feeling the way she was. She was enjoying the moment, the night, the day. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t scared of her own feelings.

-------

            The moment Laura saw Carmilla, she was stunned. Even with her beastly features, she couldn’t deny that Carmilla looked good in a suit. She was handsome and beautiful all at the same time, despite the veins, the scars, the claws, everything. Laura saw beyond all of it and knew what kind of person she was, that underneath it all, she was still very human. She may have the looks of a beast, but on the inside, she was still so human with all of her emotions and feelings.

            Laura could see the good in Carmilla, the great potential she would have had as a queen. Laura knew that Carmilla would probably struggle with letting herself feel things for a long time, but she was getting there. Carmilla was fiery, passionate and felt things immensely. Often, those emotions would come out in anger or sadness. Laura could see her flaws but could also see the strength behind them. It didn’t matter to Laura what she looked like on the outside.

            It had amazed Laura how easily and fluidly Carmilla led her around the ballroom floor. It had to have been such a long time since she danced like this, yet it seemed like she knew exactly what she was doing, like no time had passed since her last dance.

            She was gentle and soft when she guided Laura around the room, but everything she did had a purpose. It definitely surprised her when Carmilla had lifted her up over her head and then spun her around. It felt so freeing though, so fun.

            Laura was so lost in Carmilla that she forgot about everything except Carmilla in those moments. This beautiful creature who looked like a sharp, angry beast but was really a soft, passionate human being inside.

            Carmilla dipped her just as the music stopped. Laura locked eyes with Carmilla and neither of them moved. Laura could see into the chocolate brown eyes, they seemed to sparkle more this past day than Laura had ever seen.

            Then she watched Carmilla close her eyes and lean closer to her. Laura panicked for a moment. She couldn’t decide whether she wanted to pull away or to lean into her. Either scenario scared her. They couldn’t have what Laura wanted if she was still a prisoner here, but Laura wanted to forget about all of that so bad. Fortunately, or unfortunately- she couldn’t decide- she couldn’t just forget about all of it.

            Then she felt a pair of lips on her forehead. She felt her breath hitch. She was thankful that it was just the forehead, but it still didn’t stop her heartrate from picking up and her face from growing warm.

            Carmilla pulled her up and then silently guided her towards the windows. To her surprise, there was a very large terrace outside. As Carmilla pushed the doors open, the wind hit her body and for the first time, it wasn’t too cold. The air was warm, a comfortable temperature for Laura to be in with a sleeveless dress.

            Laura looked up at the stars. She had never seen so many before. They all shined brightly against the night sky, each one with it’s on unique shine. It was like she was seeing them for the first time.

            “I haven’t danced in years,” Carmilla spoke up. “I had forgotten the feeling. I’m glad that I have it back now.”

            Laura turned to look at Carmilla. She looked relaxed and happy, but then it shaped into a slight nervousness. Laura had to wonder what that was about.

            “It’s foolish, maybe,” Carmilla continued and rubbed her claw against the stone nervously. “For something like me to hope that one day… you could… we… you could like me? That one day, I could earn your… trust and affection.”

            Laura almost staggered backwards at Carmilla’s words. It wasn’t like Carmilla to be so bold with her words like this. They had been overly flirtatious before, but this was different.

            She was also in disbelief that Carmilla didn’t think that she didn’t already had some feelings for her. Neither of them had exactly been subtle over the past day or so. It wasn’t a “foolish” thing for Carmilla to hope for.

            However, the only chance of that happening was when Laura wasn’t being held here by anything other than herself and her… feelings for the older woman.

            “I don’t know…” Laura spoke before she had a chance to think on it more.

            “Really,” Carmilla asked in happy disbelief. “You think you could… be happy here?”

            There it was. Laura could see herself being happy here, if she had her freedom. If she didn’t, then it was useless. There was no truly being happy with Carmilla or in the castle without her freedom. They couldn’t have something real together without Carmilla granting it to her. Laura couldn’t outright ask for it either, it was something Carmilla had to grant on her own.

            “Do you think that anyone could be happy without freedom?” Laura pointed out.

            Laura didn’t outright ask Carmilla to let her go, but she damn well did her best to hint at it. She couldn’t let Carmilla dwell on it anymore. Carmilla needed to come to that conclusion on her own. Laura could never be happy with Carmilla without her freedom, the choice to come back or not.

            Given the choice, Laura would come back, but Carmilla would still have to be okay with if she didn’t. If they were going to be something, Carmilla had to let her go completely.

            “I’m glad that my father took me to dancing lessons,” Laura said to change the subject. “Even though I stepped on his toes a lot, he still got through it with me. I think I learned more than he did, but we still had a lot of fun with it.”

            “You must miss him,” Carmilla said sadly.

            Laura sighed. She did miss him a lot and she hoped that he was doing alright. It was weird that he hadn’t come back to get her yet. Maybe the castle was being shrouded from him by magic. It didn’t matter though, she just hoped that she was doing okay.

            “I do miss him a lot,” Laura gave Carmilla a weak smile. It was the best she could do considering the circumstances.

            Carmilla rubbed her hand on her chin and looked at Laura. She was completely lost in thought for a moment. Laura raised her eyebrow. Every time she did something like that in the past day, she managed to surprise Laura with something- usually magical.

            “Would you like to see him?” Carmilla asked.

            Laura cocked her head.

            “What do you mean?” Laura asked back.

            “Like, a video call of sort,” Carmilla replied. “He won’t be able to see you, but you can see him.”

            Laura smiled at the thought of being able to check up on her dad. Maybe Carmilla wasn’t going to let her go any time soon, but at least she could see her dad for a moment. She nodded at Carmilla.

            Carmilla then turned and guided them back through the ballroom, the main entrance and up the stairs to the west wing.

            It was weird that Carmilla was inviting her into the west wing. The last few times she had been here, she really had just let herself in. This was the first time that Carmilla was giving her explicit permission to enter her room.

            Carmilla guided her all the way outdoors on the balcony to the table that the enchanted rose sat on. Laura couldn’t help but notice that there were less petals on the rose than the last time she had looked at it. It looked like there were only two petals left, the second to last one, barely hanging on.

            Next to the rose was a mirror that Laura had seen in the same place before. It was the only unbroken mirror in the castle.

            Carmilla picked it up and handed it to her.

            “Yet another gift from the enchantress,” Carmilla explained. “Another thing to show me the outside world that I cannot reside in. Just tell it what you want to see, and it will show you that very thing.”

            Laura found it fascinating that it could show her anything she wanted in the world. She could probably see what ------ was up to. Not that she would though, it would probably be considered creepy.

            Her dad. That’s who she really wanted to see right now. She hadn’t seen him in days and the last time she had, he hadn’t been looking so good. Between losing her mom and the war, her dad really had a rough time of it for a while. This had to stress him out a lot. He only kept himself together after getting back from overseas for Laura. Now that he was without her, she wasn’t sure how he was doing.

            “I’d like to see my dad,” Laura spoke in the mirror.

            The mirror glowed for a moment before she finally saw her dad’s face. It was blurry for a moment, Laura was unsure where he was, but then it cleared.

            Her dad was running down some hallway… it was a hallway in the Silas hospital! Laura recognized it from when she visited her mom there. He was running. Laura wondered why he would be running through the hospital. He looked absolutely terrified. That’s when Laura saw that there were hospital security guards after him.

            “What’s going on,” Laura screamed. “Why are the chasing him? What are they doing to him in the hospital? My dad wouldn’t run unless he felt like he had too.”

            Laura felt Carmilla’s hand on arm and around her shoulders. It was comforting for a moment, but it was fleeting. Her mind was now on her dad. He looked scared and she hadn’t seen that kind of look on his face since she told him that she wanted to travel the world after college. This was a different kind of scared though. It was his own safety that seemed to be his main concern.

            There was a long pause between Laura and Carmilla as they both stared at the mirror.

            “Go see him,” Carmilla said barely a whisper.

            “What?” Laura asked, unsure if she heard Carmilla correctly.

            “You need to go see him now,” Carmilla said louder and more confident. “You can’t waste any time.”

            Carmilla removed herself from Laura’s side and took a step back.

            Laura couldn’t believe it. Carmilla was letting her go. There was no question of whether she would come back or not. No promises. Carmilla was just letting her go.

            She looked at Carmilla with gratitude and appreciation. This was another side of Carmilla that Laura knew she had in her. However, she couldn’t deal with her complicated feelings towards Carmilla right now. She had to go see her dad and make sure that he was alright. He was her priority now.

            Laura moved to return the mirror to Carmilla, but she held up her hand.

            “Keep it,” Carmilla said heavy with sadness. “And you’ll always have a way to look back upon me.”

            Laura couldn’t believe it again. The unspoken words. Carmilla wasn’t expecting her to come back. Laura didn’t have the time or the mind capacity to ensure Carmilla that she would return when her dad was taken care of.

            “Thank you,” Laura spoke quickly and then rushed out the bedroom door.

            Carmilla had shown great strength in letting her go. After she helped her dad, she could readdress whatever was going on with Carmilla. She had let her go. She had let her go completely. There was no expectation of her return, no promise of her return, no question if she would return… Carmilla just let her go.

            It was what Laura had been wishing for, for so long, but alongside the great happiness and freedom she felt, she felt a twinge of sadness. She wasn’t sure when she was going to see Carmilla next or LaFontaine or Perry or Will or Elise. Based on the wilting rose, by the time she would be able to return, she may never see Carmilla’s staff again.

            She wished she could help Carmilla break the curse before the last petal falls, but her dad is her priority. Her dad is her family and if he’s in trouble, Laura has to help him out.

            Assuring Carmilla of her return had completely slipped her mind. Her dad’s welfare had filled her mind so quickly.

            As she raced down the stairs, she saw Kirsch by the door. She stopped for a moment, looking at him, wondering what he looked like as a human being. He looked back at her, gave her a lopsided grin and a bow. Laura may never talk to him again.

            She held back tears. Whether it was for the castle staff or her dad or both, she wasn’t sure. Before Kirsch could say anything, she pushed the door open and let herself out of the castle.

            Then there was some shaking and rumbling within the castle. Laura turned her head up to see some stone falling from one of the towers. The castle was magical. It may not be too happy with Laura’s exit, but she couldn’t dwell on that.

            She bolted for the stables. The horse is there waiting for her, saddle on and ready to ride. She quickly grabbed the leads and led it out of the wooden gates. As soon as the horse was clear of the doors, she grabbed the saddle and hoisted herself up.

            With one last look at the castle, she could’ve sworn she could see Carmilla clinging onto one of the turrets of the castle. She shook her head and looked forwards towards the forest. Then she whipped the reins onto the horse, causing him to lurch forward into the vastness of trees.

            Her dad. She had to go save him now.

Chapter Text

            Carmilla stepped out of the balcony and into her room. She heard the door open, followed by the clanging of wood and metal on the stone floor. Her staff was now here, probably eager to hear about tonight’s events. She didn’t want to deal with them right now. She didn’t want to deal with anything. Laura was on her way out. She had let her go.

            It was an odd feeling though. Carmilla didn’t feel anger or wrath about her decision. There wasn’t sadness though… There was just nothing. Letting Laura go was the right thing to do. She knew that. She desperately wished that Laura didn’t have to go, but her father was the most important thing in the world to Laura. Carmilla couldn’t keep her from that. The crushed, worried look on Laura’s face had Carmilla immediately thinking about what she could do to never see that look on her face again. She had to let Laura go. She had to let her go take care of her father. Nothing was more important to Laura in that moment, which meant that nothing was more important to Carmilla either.

            Watching her leave out the door made Carmilla’s feelings go in all sorts of directions. There was anger and sadness, but ultimately… It led her to feel empty.

            It wasn’t the right thing to keep Laura here in the first place. Her father was no thief. Laura was a kind, sweet girl that didn’t deserve any of Carmilla’s wrath. Carmilla had been so caught up in her own problems and how cruel the world was to her, she didn’t see the light that her world could have had. Instead of seeking that light, she cowered in the darkness, projecting the same cruelty that the world had given her to anyone who crossed her path.

            There were some people in the world who the world didn’t deserve. Laura was one of them. Carmilla knew that from the day Laura had taken her father’s place, she just didn’t see it then. It was Laura that threw the curtains open, revealing that the world wasn’t completely covered in the darkness Carmilla lived in. She didn’t know what to do now that her light bringer was gone. The only path Carmilla could see was back in the darkness. Laura was gone, the curse wasn’t going to be broken and she would live alone. Forever.

            It was a cruel fate that she had seen what the world could have been if she had just given it a chance, then for that hope and light to be taken away during her last moments.

            The feeling of hopelessness didn’t even describe it. Carmilla just felt numb. The world seemed to have screwed her one last time.

            “Dear sister,” Will exclaimed. “I did have my doubts about this, but everything seems to be working out. I do really think that Laura is great for you. True love is so magical. It seems that all went well?”

            Carmilla didn’t care enough to growl or roar at him. She merely shrugged her tailor coat off her shoulders and tossed it onto the bed.

            She stalked back over to the balcony, staring at the glowing rose. Hope rung in heart earlier today and now… it was all gone. Laura wasn’t coming back. Laura didn’t feel the same way about her as she felt for Laura. After everything, she hoped that there could’ve been a chance for her to live a normal life again. There was no hope now.

            “I let her go,” Carmilla sighed.

            “Wait what?” Will asked as he climbed up the table.

            LaFontaine, Perry, Mrs. Potts and Theo made their way onto the balcony. All of them with confused looks on their faces.

            “I had to,” Carmilla breathed out and looked out upon the castle grounds.

She had never spoken a truer statement in her life. It was something she couldn’t describe. She wanted Laura to be happy, to be free, even if it meant that Laura would never see her again- even if it meant living a cursed life forever herself. Laura’s freedom was only thing that she could give her to make her happy. Even with all the books and gold in the world, Laura wouldn’t have been happy without it. She wanted to give Laura everything she could and now she had.

            “But why?” Will exasperated.

            That was a question Carmilla had been asking herself over and over. For Laura. For her happiness. For the first time, Carmilla had put someone else’s needs before her own. She could hear Mother’s voice in her head telling her that this was the consequence of putting other’s needs before your own. Making yourself miserable and weak, but she didn’t feel weak. She had wanted to put Laura’s needs before hers. The consequence of that was knowing that Laura was happy. It was enough for Carmilla. It took a certain strength to make the decision and she hadn’t even thought twice about it.

            “Because she loves her,” Perry answered for her.

            “Then why are we not human?” LaFontaine questioned.

            Carmilla shook her head. She swept past them, moving her body to lean on the stone railing. She didn’t want to remind her staff that it had to be reciprocated. It was clear that Laura didn’t. It hurt Carmilla to think about it and she didn’t want to think about it.

            “Because Laura doesn’t love her,” Will whispered aloud. “And now, it’s too late.”

            The castle shook and rumbled. Carmilla could hear stone falling all over the place. It seemed that the lights were getting dimmer, the stars were less bright.

            She heard the staff gasp at watching another rose petal fall. There was only one left now. It was only a matter of time before it fell. With how fast they were falling in the past few days, Carmilla guessed that they all had less than a day left.

            The rumbling and shaking stopped.

            “But she might still come back-“

             “No,” Carmilla said forcefully to interrupt Theo. “I let her go completely. I gave her freedom. She won’t be coming back. She’s free. I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you the same.”

            She didn’t turn to see their reactions. It was hard enough already that Laura was gone, she didn’t want to see their faces full of hopelessness. Even when Carmilla had lost all of her hope, her staff had always believed that she could break the curse. This wasn’t the same. There wasn’t enough time left and they all knew it. She truly, genuinely wished that she could have helped them.

            “Now go,” Carmilla softly waved them off. “Our time is almost past. Go spend the rest of your time however you would like.”

            “What about you master?” LaFontaine spoke lowly.

            Carmilla just shook her head and waved them off again. This time, she heard them all move to exit her room.

            She wanted to be left alone. The curse was entirely her fault and now it was coming to pass. Her staff were merely caught in her crossfire and it wasn’t fair to them to be caught in this cruel fate. She didn’t need to spend their last moments watching them turn into rubbish, feeling guilty. It was Carmilla who needed to feel the guilt.

            The door closed and Carmilla stalked back inside, grabbing a large black cape off one of dressers. She then heard the pounding footsteps of someone running outside. Quickly, she threw on the cape and sped out to the balcony.

            Laura was running through the castle grounds towards the stables. As she ran further and further, Carmilla’s view of her became more obstructed by the castle. She leapt up across her balcony and onto a turret of the castle. She moved herself to see Laura more clearly.  She wanted to make sure Laura made it through the woods safely. She wanted to keep her eyes on her sun for as long as possible until it set into the night, never to be seen again.

            Soon enough, Laura reached the stables, disappearing momentarily to grab the horse inside. In seconds, she was out. There was a pause in Laura’s movements and Carmilla watched her look back for a moment.

            If Laura’s eyesight was as clear as hers, they could’ve made eye contact.

            Then the horse surged forward with Laura, heading towards the forest.

            As the horse rode farther and farther away, Carmilla climbed higher and higher to keep Laura in sight as long as possible. If she was never going to see Laura again, she wanted to have every possible moment she could with her. Even if it was just a look in the distance.

            After Carmilla could climb no higher, Laura got smaller and eventually disappeared into the trees.

            Carmilla just sat there with her eyes locked on the last stop she had seen Laura.

            This was just a reminder of losing everything she once had. She lost Laura, her only love. She once had everything a girl could ever want in life and she wasted that away. When she was still human, she didn’t ever think that she would need someone in her life like Laura. She didn’t think that she needed anyone in a caring and loving capacity. Now that she realized how much she did want it, need it, and it was too late. Everything was doomed.

            It was so painful to think about Laura leaving. Carmilla had done the one thing she had never imagined herself doing- she gave Laura a piece of her. She had given Laura her heart. It was something she could never get back. Although, Carmilla didn’t want it back.  After everything and with the threat of the curse holding forever looming, she was glad that someone saw her more than a beast. She was glad that she had given someone her heart because once the last petal fell, there would be no more heart to give.

            And Laura may not have given her heart to her, but Laura had given her more than she could ever know. She learned how to be happy, laugh and see that beauty in life that Laura saw. There was more to the world that just the darkness and cruelty Carmilla believed it to be. It would now live with Carmilla forever. That is what Laura gave her. No matter how long time would go on, Laura would always be the bright spot in her heart.

            It hurt to think about, but it also gave her joy. Just the thought of Laura’s smile tormented her and calmed her at the same time. Carmilla could live off that memory for the rest of her life. She would be living off that memory for the rest of time. The memory brought her feeling back.

            If she closed her eyes, she could just imagine herself tomorrow morning, waiting by the stairs, watching the doors open and there Laura would be with that smile. It was an impossible dream though. It didn’t seem to matter to her heart though. Her heart wanted to sit in her lonely tower with the door open, hoping that she would walk right back in one day.

            Something wet started to fall down Carmilla’s face. She looked up to the sky, expecting to see clouds and rain, but there wasn’t any. She brought one of her hands to her face to wipe away the wetness, realizing that it was coming from her own eyes.

            She was crying- something she hadn’t done in centuries since her father died. She didn’t even know that she could still cry.

            It was as if she went from feeling nothing to feeling everything at once. Her mind wasn’t listening as she tried to stop the tears from flowing. They continued to fall without her permission.

            It was because of Laura that she was crying for the first time in years, but it didn’t anger her. No matter how painful the thought of Laura was, in that pain resided a lot of other emotions. Emotions that Laura would want her to remember- excitement, joy, happiness.

            Laura may physically be gone from Carmilla, but she would never truly leave her. Laura would always be in her heart.

-------

            The streets of Silas were awfully quiet.

            Laura continued to push the horse forward, the only sound in her ears was the sound of hooves hitting the pavement.

            As she rode further into town, she began to recognize certain things, but it was all different. The buildings seemed darker and the street lamps weren’t as bright as they used to be. There was no one around to see her. She wondered if anyone even cared that she had been gone for so long.

            If they were treating her father the way they were, then they couldn’t have been too worried about her being gone. He was the only other person who had seen her recently and he was the only one who knew about everything. If they were throwing away their only lead, they couldn’t have been too concerned about her.

            Finally, Laura heard voices and saw figures down the street. They were all walking away from the local diner and they all stopped to watch Laura as she galloped down the street.

            She had to admit that she was probably a weird sight right now. A horse running down the middle of Silas at night wasn’t a usual thing and she was also still in her large, golden ballgown.

            The street was very dimly lit so Laura couldn’t see who it was. She didn’t know too many people who would still be out this late on a weekday. Silas was normally asleep at this time, maybe except for the few college students who studied late. They must be college students which means that she might know them.

            It wasn’t time to stop and see who it was. She had to get to her dad. He was probably going to get hurt or he was going to hurt someone.

            Laura motioned the horse to keep moving fast. The people up ahead were coming closer into her view.

            She specifically noticed a tall, redhead staring at her as she passed.

            “Laura?!” she heard Danny shout from behind her.

            Then the galloping of hooves was joined by a slow stomping off feet. Laura glanced behind her to see Danny running to keep up with her, but there was no chance. The horse was moving too quickly, and Laura wasn’t about to stop.

            Besides, she and Danny hadn’t exactly been left on the best of terms. Although if anyone was going to notice her absence, Danny probably would have been the first. Would have been- if not for their last argument. Danny probably thought that she was just ignoring her.

            Laura led the horse around a corner a few blocks after seeing Danny. The hospital was finally in sight. A part of her was filled with worry, but she was also really looking forward to seeing her dad after all they had been through. He has probably been so worried about her.

            His first impression of Carmilla hadn’t been great which more than likely led him to believe that Laura was in some kind of incredible danger. That wasn’t true at all. After Carmilla let her out the tower, she had been treated… decently. Then after a while, she had been treated like… like a princess.

            It was wrong to keep her there, but Carmilla definitely changed since the first time Laura met her. Honestly, Laura never thought one person could change as much as Carmilla had in less than a week. She learned so much from being there. Her perceptions about the world were changed forever. Carmilla, the castle, the staff had given her a lot of things she would take into her life for the rest of her life.

            The world wasn’t full of black and white, right and wrong. It had a lot of grey areas and sometimes things weren’t always as they appeared to be. She grew up and matured so much than she ever had being in that castle than she had in the past nineteen years of her life.

            God, she was still thinking about Carmilla. Even when she was racing to see her unwell dad, she was still thinking about her.

            Carmilla’s long, beautiful black hair… Her smile that seemed to light up everything in the room, despite the fangs… Her soft looking, pale lips… The hands that looked hard and cold, but were soft and caring… Carmilla’s exterior may have shown coldness and hardness, but on the inside, there was a soft, passionate, caring girl… Laura was so glad to have seen it.

            Laura knew that she would return to see Carmilla one day soon. As soon as she took care of her dad, she would return to the castle and check on everyone. Hopefully, she could help break the curse in the castle before it was too late.

            As she approached the hospital, there were a lot of lights spinning and blinking. It wasn’t the just the ambulances either, there were two police cars sitting outside of the ER bay.

            Doctors, nurses, policemen and security guards were all standing around outside of the doors to the ER. She quickly pulled up underneath the covering to see that they were all converged around her dad.

            Her dad was on the ground swinging his fists as the two security guards and two policemen on top of him. They pinned his arms behind his back and then handcuffed him. She could hear her dad shouting about them taking him away from his family.

            Laura swung her legs up and over, jumping off the horse and running towards her dad.

            “STOP,” Laura screamed. “What are you doing my dad?!”

            Everyone immediately looked up towards her, the two security guards and policemen stared at her bewildered.

            Her dad was crying and muttering things about his family, her and never being able to get out of the desert. She had seen this once before. It was a long time ago when her dad first came back from being deployed overseas.

            It was a little while after her mom died and her dad was doing the best, he could to take care of her. She slammed the oven door shut and it echoed very loudly across the room. Next thing she knew, her dad yelled “get down” and he threw himself to the floor, ears and eyes covered.

            She knew that her dad was having issues with coming back from his last tour. They had gone to one of his therapy sessions together. The therapist explained the best he could to Laura about what was going on. She couldn’t really understand it at the time, but the one thing she did remember was how to deal with situations like this. Right now, what the guards and policemen were doing was not making things better.

            “Get off of him,” she yelled. “You don’t know what you’re doing to him! You’re making it worse!”

            She tried to run over to him, but she was stopped by the rough arm of a policeman in front of her.

            “Dad,” she shouted. “DAD!”

            There was no acknowledgement from her dad. She had to get closer to him, she had to calm him down and help him out of his episode. No one else here knew what was going on. They were treating him like a bad guy and not a veteran with a serve mental disorder.

            There was a moment when the policeman got distracted and she took the opportunity to shove right past him and towards her dad. The two security guards and one of the policemen had gotten up off of him, but the other one still had his knee on her dad’s back.

            “Let go of him,” she yelled the policeman. “You don’t know what you’re doing! Leave him alone!”

            Laura wasn’t sure if it was from complete surprise or if the policeman was actually listening to her, but he rose and got up off of her dad. She quickly knelt down at his side. There were a few bruises and scrapes on his arms. She had to get him out of his own head. She had to remind him that he was in Silas and not overseas.

            For a second, she almost reached out and touched him, but then realized that it would be a bad idea. He had just been harassed and roughly handled, she didn’t want to surprise him by another touch. She could put herself in harm’s way too even though he was handcuffed.

            The best thing she could do was to coax him out of it using her voice.

            “Dad,” she said softly and got a small response of a whine. “Dad, look at me.”

            Her dad uncomfortable rolled over onto his back, his eyes were completely unfocused and hazy at first. There was a large cut on the side of his head. His eyes started to clear, his eye’s focusing on his surroundings. His eyes locked onto hers.

            “Laura…” he breathed out with a small smile.

            “I’m here Dad,” Laura smiled back. “It’s me.”

            “No, you’re not,” he whispered. “The beast has you…”

            Of course, he would think that. If he recognized that he was having a PTSD episode, he was likely aware that he could be hallucinating.

            “No dad,” Laura smiled. “I’m really here. I… The beast let me go.”

            She watched as her dad shook his head.

            “Now why would it do that?”

            Laura shook her head. Right now, was not the time nor place to explain that she was falling for her former warden. Or that her former warden had some sort of feelings for her too. She just had to make sure that he could recover from this episode first.

            “Can I touch you dad?” she asked gently.

            One of the things she remembered clearly was to ensure that the person having a PTSD flashback or episode was okay with you touching them. It was to keep the safety of the both of them and not to cause any alarm to him.

            Her dad nodded. So, she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around him. Her dad instantly relaxed and she hoisted him up so that he was sitting up rather than on his back.

            “It really is you,” she heard her dad say under his breath into her shoulder.

            “It really is,” she replied and hugged him a little tighter.

            “I’d thought I’d lost you.”

            Laura let her warm arms wrap around her dad for another second and then back away. She examined the cut on his head and then remembered that he had some bruises and cuts on his arms. The handcuffs were digging into a cut on his left arm. Since he was no calm and no longer a threat, surely, she could get them removed.

            She turned to the policeman that was now looming over her.

            “He’s calm now and he’s got some cuts and bruises all over him,” she said firmly. “Can you please remove the cuffs? They’re digging into a cut on his wrist.”

            “Miss, I can’t do that,” he said.

            “Why not? He’s fine now!”

            “I’m afraid that he’s not well,” a new voice came from towards the ER entrance.

            A short male in a doctor’s coat with long black hair in a ponytail approached her. She had never seen him before, but his nametag read “Dr. Ramon”.

            “Your dad hasn’t been doing well mentally for the past few days,” he continued. “He’s been hallucinating and making up stories about you. He also incapacitated me in an attempt to escape the psychiatric ward of the hospital.”

            “You’re telling me that you think he’s crazy,” Laura asked. “He’s not crazy! He hasn’t had an episode in years, he’s been diligently taking his medicine.”

            She quickly looked around the crowd, now realizing that everyone was whispering around her. People from all over town were now here, surround her and her dad. They must have all come out to see her. Maybe they did all notice that she had been gone for the past few days. It also took her a moment to remember that she was still in the large, yellow dress from the castle.

            As she scanned the crowd, she watched Danny push through to the front. They made eye contact and Danny continued to move closer to her.

            “Danny,” she exclaimed. “Tell them- tell them my dad isn’t crazy! You know him.”

            “Laura…” she breathed out and then stopped a few feet away from her.

            There was something in her eyes. They looked almost guilty and with sympathy, but then Danny averted her eyes away from Laura and onto her dad.

            “You know how much I like your dad,” she continued. “But the doctor is right, he’s been talking about some stuff. It’s about some impossible things that don’t make any sense.”

            “It’s true,” she heard someone from behind Danny. “He’s been constantly raving about some beast in a castle.”

            So, her dad had been trying to get her help. He had been trying to rescue her, but they all thought that he was making things up and that he was just an old man who had gone crazy. They didn’t even bother to try and see if his claim was real.

            The people of the town knew her dad, they should know that he wasn’t the kind of man to make stuff up. He was a practical man who didn’t believe in magic or such things, yet here he was spouting off about a castle and a beast. They all should have known that something was wrong.

            “There is a beast in a castle,” she spoke quickly. “I just came from it.”

            “Laura,” Danny sighed with pity. “I know that you’d do anything for your dad, but you shouldn’t say things like that. Besides, I did go hiking through the woods and I didn’t find anything. There’s no proof that there’s a castle in Silas or that the beast is real.”

            Laura’s hand immediately moved down to the magic mirror that Carmilla had given her. It would give them all the proof they needed. If they got their proof, then they could release her dad from the handcuffs.

            Without hesitation, she pulled the mirror out and held it up to Danny. She wanted to do anything to get her dad out of handcuffs. Unfortunately, she didn’t think about the consequences of revealing Carmilla to the town.

            “You want proof,” she asked. “Well I’ve got it. Show me the beast.”

            As she spoke into the mirror, it started to shimmer and shift. The shimmering stops and it now shows Carmilla sitting on top of one the towers of the castle. Her tailcoat was now replaced with a long black cape. For some reason, her eyes are red instead of their natural, soft brown and her veins were darker than ever before.

            “What is that? A camera of some sort? Is this real?”

            Danny looks at the mirror in disbelief and grabs it from Laura’s hand. Her eyes peer closer at it like they can’t believe what they’re seeing.

            “It is real,” Laura spoke up. “The castle is surrounded and shrouded within the Silas forest. My dad wasn’t lying. It’s there.”

            Danny’s eyes narrowed at the mirror and then turned her back toward Laura. She was facing the people who surrounded them. They were all looking at Danny with anticipation.

            “Shit, it is real,” Danny said aloud. “It looks almost ghostly. Ghostly with large fangs… and omigod, those claws. What is this?”

            All of the people murmur and gasp in fear and disgust. Laura couldn’t let them think that Carmilla was a beast. They didn’t know her like she did. On the outside, she looked hard and scary, but on the inside, she was soft and beautiful. Perhaps if she could explain it, she could get some help and break the curse on the castle.

            She had forgotten that people tend to judge books by their covers and not about what’s inside. They didn’t know anything about Carmilla except what she looked like and it did not reflect at all who she was.

            “No, no,” Laura shouted. “She’s not what she looks like. I swear that yea, she looks kind of scary at first, but she’s actually kind and gentle.”

            Everyone stopped whispering and they all gasped before falling silent.

            “Laura,” Danny in disbelief. “This… thing. It’s dangerous. Those fangs and claws could rip your throat out in an instant. How could you- what happened- I don’t understand. It must have brainwashed you, manipulated you while you were there. There’s no way that you… care for this thing that your dad said kidnapped you.”

            “Look, I know it all sounds crazy,” Laura said quickly. “She’s not a monster. The circumstances of us meeting were exactly conventional, but I did get to know her, and she did let me go. She would never hurt me. She would never hurt anyone.”

            Unprovoked, it what Laura should have added.

            The whispers and murmurs continued once more. Danny had turned back to face her. There was a mix of concern, pity and anger on her face. Laura didn’t want to know what that all meant. She just knew that it meant that Danny didn’t believe her. It seemed that no one believed her. She didn’t know how to get these people to understand. Her dad was right, they were small minded people and they couldn’t see past what their little brains wanted to perceive.

            “I’ve heard of captors brainwashing their prisoners before, but I’d never actually seen it before,” Danny said to her. “Laura, this thing kidnapped you. It could very well kidnap someone else too. It could easily hurt someone else. We can’t have this animal running around Silas. I don’t know how she did it, but we can fix this, right?”

            Everyone else started agreeing and cheering.

            “We can’t have this threat in Silas!”

            “I don’t want my kid to be next!”

            “It could kill us all!”

            The voices of the people started growing louder, all of them agreeing that Carmilla was an animal and a threat to the safety of Silas. This is not what Laura intended to happen. She had just wanted to prove that her dad wasn’t crazy. Now that they knew that truth, they didn’t believe Laura. Danny thought that she was now the crazy one. This wasn’t good.

            “No,” Laura said loudly and stood up. “She won’t hurt you! I promise, she’s a good person and not a monster. And I’m not brainwashed! If I was, would I be here? Would I be helping my dad after she gave me my freedom?”

            “I don’t know,” Danny said. “Look, I’m sorry Laura, but I really think that you’re getting this all wrong. You were with this beast for a long time. It changed you. I’m sure that with some help you can reverse whatever manipulation that thing did to you. I really care for you Laura. No matter how you feel about me, I do care for you. I just want what is best for you and best for the town. I think you should stay here and try to get better. Once we have this thing locked up, we can figure out just what she did to you.”

            Laura went to open her mouth, but then felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Dr. Ramon.

            “Miss Hollis, if you come with me, we can get you checked out,” the doctor urged her in the direction of the ER entrance. “We can check to make sure you don’t have any physical injuries and then we can talk about your time in the castle.”

            Laura shoved the doctor’s hand off of her shoulder.

            “I’m fine,” Laura growled at the doctor. “I don’t need to get checked out.”

            “I really think you do,” the doctor insisted. “I don’t want you to injure yourself further or anyone else.”

            “You can’t go back to the beast,” Danny stated. “She’s going to hurt you again. We can’t have that.”

            “She won’t hurt me! And she won’t hurt if you. You just to need leave her alone for right now,” Laura pleaded. “You can’t go all torches and pitchforks on her. I won’t let you!”

            “Let us?” Danny questioned. “Laura, you’re in no state to think about this properly. You need help. You can’t go running back to this beast. We certainly won’t let you warn her that we’re coming.”

            “If you would listen-“

            “I’m sorry Miss Hollis, Miss Lawrence is right,” Dr. Ramon interrupted her. “You need to come with us, we’re not asking. You could endanger yourself or others and we can’t have that.”

            A few nurses surround Laura, touching her arms and her back. It seemed like it was meant to be comforting and soothing, but it was doing the exact opposite. It felt threatening and she didn’t like that one bit.

            “Don’t touch me!” she screamed.

            The nurses didn’t back off. They gripped her arms and her back tighter.

            “You’re not in your right mind Laura,” Danny said sympathetically. “Once we take care of this… beast, you’ll see. Everything will get better.”

            The nurses started to drag her onto a gurney, restraints were put around her wrists and her ankles.

            “You can’t do this to me,” Laura yelled. “I haven’t done anything wrong!”
            “I’m sorry Miss Hollis,” Dr. Ramon came to her side after the nurses strapping her in. “It’s not about what you have done, it’s about what you could do. We don’t want you harming you or anyone else. It’s only for a few days. 72 hours.”

            “No,” Laura screamed again. “You can’t do this! Danny, you can’t hurt Carmilla! She’s not a beast like she seems to be!”

            “I’m so sorry Laura,” Danny wiped her eyes. “I really just want what’s best for you.”

            “This isn’t over Danny! Don’t you dare hurt her!”

            In all honestly, she wasn’t too worried about Danny hurting Carmilla. She was more worried about Carmilla hurting Danny. Laura knew that Carmilla wouldn’t hesitate to defend herself, but she was worried about the repercussions of Carmilla harming Danny. Carmilla had changed so much and worked so hard for that change. Hurting Danny would either, regress her emotional state or overwhelm her emotions. Carmilla didn’t enjoy hurting people.

            She fought the restraints, but they were too tight, and she couldn’t escape them. They rolled her next to her dad who was lying on a gurney, tied up. His eyes were glossed over like they had sedated him.

            As the nurses rolled her into the ER, she heard the rising shouts of the people. They weren’t going to listen to her. They were going to go after Carmilla.

            Laura was worried for Carmilla. She couldn’t have been in a great mood after Laura had left, a mob of angry townspeople would probably not help her mood. They didn’t understand who she was. All they saw was how she looked. Sure, kidnapping Laura wasn’t the right thing to do, but ultimately, she let her go. She changed in less than a week more than she thought anyone could ever change. She wasn’t the same person she was when she first kept Laura prisoner.

            There was nothing Laura could do right now. She was strapped to a gurney and being hauled to wherever they kept the mentally unstable people. They believed her to not be in her right mind about Carmilla, and sure, she would have been skeptical too if someone had shown care for their captor, but they didn’t know the whole story. They would never be able to fully understand the story either. These people didn’t believe in magic and curses. It would only hurt them.

            All she wanted to do right now was get out of here and prevent anyone from harming Carmilla… From Carmilla doing something that she would regret doing.

            She had spent so much time figuring out how to get out of the castle and back to town… Now all she wanted to do was get out of town and back to the castle. All she wanted to do was get back to Carmilla.

Chapter Text

            Danny did nothing as they rolled Laura into the ER. There was nothing to do except take of the thing that ruined her mental state. It didn’t matter if Laura hated her at the moment. Later, Laura would thank her for taking care of her and keeping her safe. They would all thank her for keeping the town safe. This… beast posed a threat to herself and everyone in town. It felt like it was her job to protect the town and keep the beast from kidnapping or hurting anyone else in Silas.

            Growing up, it was always her job to protect people. She had always been the tall, strong one among her family, her friends and anyone else around her. It felt right too. She always loved helping people and making people’s lives better. Sometimes, she had to admit that she came on a bit too strong. And well, with two younger brothers, she always had to be that way. Her parents weren’t the ones to do it. They had a… live and learn type parenting policy. Danny had to learn a lot of things the hard way as the oldest. She did her best to help and protect her younger brothers, unlike her parents. Not that they weren’t loving, it was just that they had their own approach about parenting and caring.

            In fact, she was very concerned that if the beast were to come to town, it could kidnap one of her brothers. Anyone in town could be next if the monster wasn’t handled properly. Laura and her father were proof of the terror and misery it could bring to the town. Danny did not want to risk blanketing more of that over Silas.

            Poor Laura though. The beast had managed to sink it claws into her sweet, innocent heart. Laura wasn’t thinking clearly about it. With it claws deep into her emotions, it twisted Laura’s mind to think that it was nice and caring leading her to care for the monstrous thing. Danny vaguely knew about something in psychology where kidnappers manipulated their victims into caring for them. Sure, it might have been from a criminal tv show, but most of those stories were based off of true facts. It must’ve been what happened to Laura.

            Laura was so naïve about things like that. Danny thought that Laura was smarter than that, smarter than letting some beast get into her head and manipulate her. Then again, Laura was entirely too sweet and trusting for her own good. Also, she had yet to meet this beast. There was a distinct possibility that it could be extremely cunning and manipulative. She couldn’t blame Laura. This wasn’t her fault and Danny wanted to help her out as best as she could. The only thing she knew that she could do to do that was to take care of this beast. Lock it up or kill it- it didn’t matter as long as it was no longer a threat.

            Once she did that, she could come back to town and make sure that Laura got the therapy and help that she needed. No matter how much Laura hated her right now, Danny would do her best to give Laura what she needed. Right now, it was eliminating the threat for her and the town. Hopefully, once this was all over, Laura would understand, forgive her and thank her for everything she did. Danny could deal with Laura being mad at her right now as long as it meant that she was safe. Keep Laura and the town safe from this beast.

            Danny didn’t even know what this thing was. She couldn’t get the image of it out of her head though. It was so ugly and nasty looking. The fangs and the claws and the paleness of it’s skin were incredibly disturbing, but the most jarring thing was it’s eyes. It’s glowing red eyes and black veins that were littered on it’s face would make anyone jump in fear. Not Danny though. Even though it wasn’t like anything she had never seen before, it hurt her friend and was going to hurt more people if something wasn’t done about it.

            Laura had called it by a name. It was… Carla-no. Karma- that wasn’t right either. It didn’t matter anyways. The thing wasn’t one of them. In fact, the thing looked hardly human. It looked more like an animal that it did a human. Maybe, it had been something resembling a human once, but it wasn’t anymore. It’s probably how it appealed to Laura. It must have pretended and used human emotion to manipulate Laura into thinking that it wasn’t a threat, that it was something that could be cared for. The way it’s eyes glowed though… There was no way that that thing was capable of real human emotion. The red eyes were so unnerving. Nothing- not even any animal- had red eyes like that.

            It was like the monster had jumped out of a supernatural story. Supernatural. Danny didn’t believe in such a thing, but this thing was most definitely not human. It may walk and talk like one to appeal to their prey, but it was not one.

            A werewolf or a vampire are the first creatures to come to Danny’s mind and she’s laughed at the thought. Supernatural beings aren’t real. Then again… Danny couldn’t think of any other explanation for this creature. No animal had the brain to do something like kidnap and manipulate a human. The idea of the supernatural though was just ridiculous.

            Laura had not mentioned much about the creature except her name, which Danny couldn’t remember what it was. Then there was the last thing that Laura had said to her. Laura had told her not to hurt “her”. Laura had told her not to hurt the thing that captured her, possibly tortured her and kept her locked away from her friends and family for almost a week. It baffled Danny’s mind how someone- something- could manipulate a person like that. She would surely make this creature pay for all the harm it did.

            Mel interrupted Danny’s seething by tapping on her arm.

            “Danny,” Mel whispered cautiously. “Are you sure about this? Shouldn’t this be a police matter? I’m sure they have the equipment and exper-“

            “And what exactly have they done to help this past week,” Danny angrily whispered back. “They barely did anything to find Laura. They didn’t find her, she returned and now what? They’re going to go find this beast and take care of it? That thing isn’t even human. It’s not their job to take care of animals. So no, they shouldn’t be handling this. We will. As a town.”

            “Danny-“

            “Shut it Mel,” Danny put her hand up. “If they see this thing like a human, it’s not going to be taken care of properly. It’s not human. They’re not going to treat it like the threat that it is. We have to. It’s a threat to the town and it hurt Laura. I- we can’t let this go. So either get on with the program and get ready to go grab weapons, or leave and don’t get in our way.”

            “Fine,” Mel sighed. “I’m in.”

            “Good,” Danny smiled, unsure.

            Mel nodded and back away carefully from Danny.

            “What are we going to do Danny?” Betty shouted from somewhere in the crowd. “Did you see that thing?”

            Suddenly, the whispering and murmuring among the crowd got louder. The people around Danny started turning towards her with expectant looks. Now that Sherman and Laura were safe and being taken care of, no one was sure what to do. Except Danny, she knew that this thing needed to go and it wasn’t something she could do on her own. The beast was a complete mystery and Danny wasn’t stupid enough to try and jump into this without any backup.

            She would have her fellow Summer Society sisters, that was for sure, but she wasn’t sure if that would be enough. Danny really had no idea what they would be walking into, but she knew that the more people she had, the bigger advantage she would have. This was a whole town problem after all and they were looking to her for guidance.

            People looking at her to lead wasn’t an unusual thing for Danny. It happened a lot more than Danny liked to say. She couldn’t help it though if she was a natural born leader. Being the oldest in the family and practically raising her brothers definitely shaped her to be that. Even after a year in the Summer Society, the girls respected her immediately and saw her potential. She had been mentored since day one to become the next Summer Society President, and she was.

            Having the gift of leadership would certainly help her rally the people to find and rid the town of the beast, but actually taking care of the thing… That was a whole different situation. She was a hunter and a pretty good one too, but the biggest thing she had ever hunted was a deer. Deer aren’t threatening. This was going to be a new one to her- hunting an actual threat, but she wouldn’t let it stop her. It wouldn’t let it shake her.

            So, Danny stood as tall as she could and looked over the crowd.

            “This creature is a threat to our livelihood in Silas,” Danny spoke loudly to everyone. “We can’t let it threaten our town more than it already has. We don’t know what the consequences could be if we just let it roam around Silas. It could curse us all- hurt our family and our friends like it hurt Laura. We can’t let that happen and we can do something about it!”

            The crowd started humming in agreement and pretty soon those hums turned into cheers. It warmed Danny’s chest to be praised and agreed with. It was the natural leader in her. This is what she was born to do. Lead and protect. This was only the beginning of what she could truly do to make this town better.

            “We’re not safe until it’s gone,” someone in the crowd shouted.

            “It could kidnap any one of our children next,” a shrill woman shouted too.

            “We can’t let this monster roam around freely,” SJ encouraged.

            This was all Danny needed. The encouragement to do something, the push to be the best and lead, make this town safe. She grew up here and she planned to die old here. This was her town and she wouldn’t let anyone threaten it.

            “Then let’s get to work,” Danny smiled at everyone. “If you’re willing and able to fight, grab whatever you need to march into the woods and take care of this thing, and meet us at the edge of the forest, where the Silas trail begins in an hour. I’ll be there.”

            Nods and murmurers of agreement surrounded her and the crowded started dissipating. Danny could only hope that enough people would show up to help her. It was going to be a tough job if it was just her and her Summer Society sisters. Not that they couldn’t handle it, but the more people they had, the better. It was bound to be a long night, but Danny knew they could handle it. She would handle it. This is what she felt she was meant to do- protect people, help people.

            As Danny and her fellow sisters marched to her parents house, concerns started to flood her head. They were going into a fight with so many unknowns. She didn’t know how the beast fought, how strong and fast it was. They didn’t know if the beast was the only one in the castle. These questions could have been answered by Laura, but she was exactly in the right mental state to be asked them. Danny’s biggest concern was if they failed. She wasn’t used to failing and she absolutely hated it. The stakes were higher than Danny had ever known. The town and Laura wouldn’t be safe if they failed. There were just so many things that could go wrong.

            The mirror didn’t give a good size on the beast. It could be larger and taller, stronger and faster. That would be a major challenge for Danny, but nothing she hadn’t handled before. Growing up, a lot of boys picked on her. They were larger and stronger, but Danny had tactics and brains on her side. It always helped her win the fight. If this beast was as much an animal as Danny thought it was, it didn’t stand a chance.

            There was the other side of the coin too. Danny would come home a hero if she was successful. They would throw a celebration with her at the center. The town would be safe and Laura would see that the beast was just that- a beast and she would be happy and safe. Danny hoped that she would be so happy that she would finally accept her offer of a date.

            The longer she thought about being successful, the less scared and more excited she got. Besides, nothing this exciting ever happened in Silas. The town was as friendly and neighborly as a town could be.

            Finally, they reached her parents’ house. The Summer Society kept all of their recreational equipment stored there because there was no room anywhere in their house for it, and not to mention, they weren’t allowed such items near campus. The Summer Society was a college group for women who enjoyed outdoor activities and sports. They had all sorts of events and practices like trap shooting, archery, camping and they occasionally played sports like flag football and soccer. They had hunting, camping and other sport equipment locked up in a shed in the backyard.

            The Summer Society really helped Danny feel like she belonged somewhere and that it was perfect for her. Growing up, she had always been teased and taunted for being tall and wanting to do things that the boys did. In first grade, she actually broke her arm playing tackle football with some second-grade boys.

            With these girls, she felt like they really accepted her. She loved hunting, shooting, archery and just play all sorts of sport with them. She was glad that they had her back right now. Going in with them as backup made her feel all the more confident about going to this castle.

            As they entered the shed, it was quiet. They all grabbed their respective equipment. Danny loaded up her shotgun and strapped a pistol to her ankle. She could easily just compare this to a Summer Society hunting trip. It was an animal they were going after, after all. It would just be another hunting trip.

            Mel slung a crossbow around her back and strapped a knife to her waist and her ankle. SJ and Betty both grabbed short barreled shotguns, while Mattie just elected for a taser gun. Mattie didn’t participate in hunting, she thought it too “barbaric” for her taste. However, Danny wasn’t about to tell her that she should hand back. Mattie may have been more sophistication, but she was a scrappy fighter.

            They all grabbed flashlights and remained quiet as they started for Danny’s truck. The air was electric with anticipation and nervousness. They really didn’t know what to except when they were to arrive at the castle.

            The quiet really started to get in Danny’s head. Without any distractions, her mind had time to process and wander. She was still feeling guilty about everything that happened with Sherman. It had gone farther than Danny wanted, but she had to stick to her guns. Hopefully, he could forgive her when all was said and done. With the beast gone, there would be no more threat for him and Laura. Laura. She didn’t want to make this same mistake with Laura as she did her dad. She wouldn’t let Laura down and wouldn’t let this monster get away with manipulating such a sweet and innocent girl. Helping Laura would help Sherman too and that’s all Danny could do right now.

            Sherman had been right about the beast and the castle all along. No one had believed him and Danny pretended to believe him just to get on his good side for Laura. It was wrong, but doing this- this was making things right. Danny would take care of the beast and Laura and Sherman would be free of their worries.

            Danny had to keep reassuring herself that this was the right thing to do. Despite knowing that they had no other choice to find and end the beast to protect Laura and the town, there was a small voice in the back of her had that kept telling her otherwise. It was small, but it was there. Danny couldn’t understand why it was there. This thing was a monster and a threat to their town, it had to be dealt with. But the way Laura tried to talk her out of this… That is what was keeping the small voice there. Nope. Danny shoved the small voice down far, far into the back of her brain. She didn’t want to hear it. This was an opportunity for her. It was an opportunity to show the town- show Laura- that she was good. To show that she is a good person, a protector and worth something in this town.

            They all saw her as the Lawrence’s little daughter who wasn’t worth more than what she could do. Her parents hardly ever paid attention to her, more so as she got older. They only ever praised her when she got a medal or straight A’s. She would show them that she was worth more than that.

            “You good Danny?” SJ asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

            Danny snapped her head towards SJ and nodded.

            “Great,” Danny said quickly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
            “Well,” SJ said with concern. “For one, we’re heading to fight a literal beast and two, you’ve got that look- where your eyebrows furrow and you push your lips together real hard.”

            “Just think about some things, but I’m all good,” Danny faked a smile.

            SJ just nodded but didn’t look convinced. Danny was glad that she didn’t ask any more questions. She had never really told anyone about her problems with her parents.

            They started loading things into Danny’s truck when Mel came up beside Danny and poked her side.

            “You still sure about this?” Mel whispered.

            “Yes,” she replied with as much confidence as she could muster.

            Without another word or question from anyone else, they all finished loading their things into the bed and climbed in the truck.

            They pulled out of the driveway and started towards the main road that led out of town. As they got there, Danny noticed all of the cars that were headed in the same direction as she was. It seemed that more of the town was willing to help Danny out than she thought. They wanted to help her rid the town of this monster and Danny felt pride swell in her chest. She had given a good enough speech that people followed her out here.

            As they parked the car at the edge of the forest, people noticed that she had arrived and started clambering out of their cars. They started approaching her and telling her that they were with her, they wanted this monster out of their town, that it was a good idea and the right thing to do. Some were curious as to if Danny had ever encountered this beast before and if she had a plan to take care of it.

            Danny wasn’t sure she had a real plan. The beast wouldn’t be expecting them, so they had the element of surprise on their side. Also, she wasn’t sure how she was going to handle the beast. She knew that she planned on doing it personally so that no one else would have to. It was an animal and normally that meant putting a bullet in them. However, if it could walk and talk like a human being, that would make things more complicated because it could be something else entirely. If it came down to it though, Danny wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in it’s chest. She would take it’s life to save Laura’s.

            The other option was to capture and tie the thing up, question it and go from there, but… This thing had hurt Laura and Sherman, it didn’t need to be questioned. They all knew that it was guilty already and it was an animal, it didn’t have any human rights.

            Danny nodded to herself and then stepped up onto the bed of her truck, towering over the crowd that had form around her. She always knew that she was a leader, but she never expected to lead something like this. It made her feel wanted and happy that she finally getting recognized as a true leader in this town. People were looking to her to solve a problem and she wasn’t about to let them all down.

            The small voice in her head started to kick her for a moment, but she shoved it away. It was too late now, she had to continue forward with this. There were too many people counting on her now.

            Danny cleared her throat and the people went quiet.

            “Thank you all for coming here,” Danny shouted over the people. “I appreciate your willingness to help. I know that this couldn’t have been an easy decision to come out here. After all, we had never seen this monster before and I’m not sure what we’re up against. We have the number though. It’s a beast with fangs and claws, possibly a killer. But we won’t back down until it is taken care of and Silas is safe.”

            “How do you plan on taking care of it?” someone shouted.

            Danny tried to pinpoint who it was, but it was too dark, and the flashlights weren’t doing much good. She took a breath before answering.

            “I won’t lie and tell you that I think killing it is the best option,” Danny said aloud. “If it comes down to it, I will. It is a threat to our safety and has already hurt two of our people. This animal needs to be put down because we have no idea if it will hurt more of us. We need to be sure that it won’t hurt anyone else.”

            People around her all whispered in agreement.

            “So,” Danny continued. “Let’s rid our town of this beast!”

            Whispers turned into cheers. Some of them sounded like confused cheers, but cheers nonetheless. Perhaps they weren’t sure of her plan, but she couldn’t blame them, even she was unsure of her own plan. It was flimsy, but it was all they had, and this was an immediate threat.

            Danny hopped off the bed of the truck and people gave her smiles and pats on the back as she moved forward towards the forest. Her fellow Summer Society sisters were following close behind, all smiles and confidence.

            “You ready for this Danny?” Betty asked excited with a hint of nervousness.

            “No,” Danny whispered and chuckled. “But don’t have much of a choice now. I’m just going to move forward with all the fight that I have. That’s all we can do. These people have chosen to follow me. I want to show them that they were right to put their trust in me.”

            Betty smiled widely at her and the slung her around Danny.

            “You’re a great and natural leader, Dan,” SJ said. “You don’t need to prove that to anyone. Besides, you’ve got us behind you. We’ve got this.”

            Danny gave shrugged and then gave her a soft smile. As Betty released her grip, Danny just couldn’t help but think that she was half wrong. Sure, she was sure that they have this, but she did feel like she had something to prove. She wanted everyone-her parents, the town, Laura- to see what a good person and leader she was. In fact, maybe this was something she needed to prove to herself.

            Mel came up after Betty had receded behind her.

            “Danny,” she said softly. “This isn’t that I don’t trust you, but we know next to nothing about this beast. Are you sure about this? We can still ask for more help, reattack it tomorrow with a better plan. Besides, it might be human for all we know-“

            “You saw the thing Mel,” Danny interrupted her. “The fangs, the claws, the eyes… It’s a beast- an animal. You didn’t have to come along if you didn’t want to. In fact, you’re still free to make a different choice and leave.”

            “No,” Mel said firmly. “I’m with you, but I’m just making sure that you’re okay with where we’re going and what we’re doing.”

            “I am. Just leave it alone,” Danny said with a growl.

            Mel nodded and continued to walk silently next to her.

            This only made Danny feel like she did have something to prove. If Mel doubted her, she couldn’t be the only one with doubts. Mel was like the small voice inside her head that Danny continued to shove down. All the people behind her may have decided that this was the right idea, but there must be people in town that thought otherwise. Going back on her decision now would only make the people already here doubt her and she wouldn’t have that. Also, going back to town with success would prove those with doubts that they were wrong.

            Her thoughts subsided for a moment as they reached the “edge” of the forest. Danny had ventured here many times before but was unsuccessful in finding anything. There wasn’t supposed to be any forest beyond this, but it looked like it went on forever. They were deep in the forest now and Danny wasn’t sure which way was towards the castle. There had to be a way to find it.

            Then Danny remembered the mirror that she had taken from Laura earlier. It had showed them the beast, maybe it had a way to lead them to the castle. She pulled it out of her coat and held it up. It didn’t do anything. Danny tapped the side of it like it had batteries or something. Still nothing.

            “Come on stupid thing,” Danny whispered to it. “Show me the damn castle.”

            The mirror suddenly shimmered and glowed, a large wind blew and the trees sounded like they were complaining. In the mirror it showed a path in the forest that led to the castle. When she removed the mirror from her view, right before her was a path in the forest that was not there before- at least she had not seen it there a few moments ago. It just popped up there like magic.

            People around her started whispering. They all must have not seen if either and were just as shocked as she was. Maybe the mirror was the key to seeing the path or something like that. Laura and Sherman hadn’t been lying about the path to the castle, it was just hidden to everyone except them two somehow.

            Danny took a deep breath and then started down the path before her. There was no going back now. Everyone behind her followed her without hesitation. There had to be at least thirty people with her right now. It was more people than she could have hope for. Thirty versus one. She liked those odds.

            It took a while to trudge down the path. The temperature dropped very quickly, and snow started showing up on the ground around them. It was the middle of spring with snow on the ground, it was impossible.

            As they walked further and further, it got colder, there was a frozen lake and the trees started to thin to reveal a large, grand castle in their view. It took Danny’s breath away. It was the largest piece of architecture that she had ever seen. However, it looked dark and ominous against the mountains. There was little light coming from the castle. It gave Danny a large chill down her spine.

Seeing the place that Laura was held in for almost a week, fueled Danny’s adrenaline. Her feet started moving faster towards the castle. The castle grounds were lined with rose bushes covered in snow and sharp branches. Maybe the roses were supposed to be red, but underneath the moonlight, they looked practically black.

The people’s voices behind her started to get louder as they grew closer to the castle door. Flashlights were shining in all directions, but the only direction that Danny was focused on was forward.

            It felt like such a long time in a short period of time before she reached the castle doors. The people behind her started cheering and screaming to open it or break it down.

Her hand reached for the door handle, hesitating for a moment. For a moment she contemplated her choices that led to this. She had to do this now, she couldn’t back down now. This was the right thing to do. It would protect the town, it would protect Laura. It was the right thing to do.

            She pulled on the door, but it didn’t budge. Then she pushed on the door, but it still didn’t budge. The people were getting louder and restless. A few men with axes came forward and looked at her expectantly.

Well, this was the part where they would try to break it down. She nodded at them and then stepped aside. They started going at the door, bashing it with their axes to make a hole in the door so they could get through. Danny picked up a spare ax and started working with the men. If she was going to lead, she was going to do it right.

The axes did their job and made a big enough hole for Danny to reach through and move the large lock with the help of some of people. The doors didn’t swing open right away. There was something else holding it closed. Danny and some of the people pushed as hard as they could against the doors. They moved slightly, but still weren’t opening completely.

            “This isn’t working,” she heard someone shout from the other side of the doors.

It shocked Danny for a moment. If the beast wasn’t the only person in the castle, then they could be up against more than she thought. Maybe she just led these people into a fight that they couldn’t win. That’s not what she wanted or intended to happen.

            However, if there were people in there, they were either helping or protecting the beast. Maybe they were controlling it. It wasn’t the beast that had manipulated Laura, it was the people that were controlling the beast. She would give them a chance to surrender, give up the beast peacefully. If they didn’t… Then other steps of action would have to be taken. She didn’t want to hurt other human beings, but she would do her best to subdue them and take them to Oliver and the police force. The beast… That would be dealt with in her own way.

            This wasn’t something she anticipated, but it was too late to turn back. She had led people all the way here and she couldn’t disappoint them or the rest of Silas. Also, she had to take care of the beast that threatened the town, that threatened Laura.

            Danny and the men gave on last, hard push on the door and it finally gave way. Danny found herself flying forward but catching herself before she hit the ground. As she got up, she took a look around. Except for the sounds of people picking themselves off the floor and footsteps entering the foyer, it was eerily quiet. They all followed her as she walked farther into the castle.

            It was dark and dusty. Everything seemed like it was rotting and falling apart. There was a large pit forming in the bottom of Danny’s stomach. She had seen enough horror films to know that this was how they started.

            Flashlights started shining all around the room.

            Danny caught glimpses of detailed architecture and antiques all throughout the room. It just them reminded Danny that Sherman had mentioned something about a talking teacup. If he hadn’t been lying about the beast, then maybe he hadn’t been lying about the talking teacup. First this beast and now there might be ghosts that could possess inanimate objects.

            Her eyes scanned over the furniture in the room. There were some chairs, a coat rack, a feather duster, a candle holder, a harpsichord and she finally saw a tea kettle and a tea cup. It couldn’t been the same one that Sherman had been talking about.

            Mel, SJ, Betty and Mattie came to her side.

            “Are we not going to acknowledge that this place is extremely creepy,” Betty whispered. “Like, this place seems haunted. Seriously, creepy and haunted.”

            “Come on ladies,” Danny whispered back. “Keep it together.”

            Danny watched SJ approach the tea cart and study the kettle and the cup.

            “This place,” she heard a man from behind her speak- it was Jean, one of the older residents in Silas. “It seems familiar… like I’ve been here before. I can’t shake the feeling.”

            Danny ignored the statement and made her way towards the staircase. It led in two different directions. She wanted to take the one that led her to the beast. For a moment, she turned around and looked at her friends.

            Mel was closer behind her, Mattie was slowly falling behind, and Betty was checking out one a hallway that led to who knows where.

            SJ was studying the teacup and kettle closer with her flashlight. She leaned down to them and eyed them.

            “You must be the talking teacup,” SJ giggled at the teacup and then moved her face towards the tea kettle. “And you must be his grandmother.”

            “Grandmother,” Danny heard a shrill, unfamiliar voice cry out.

            It seemed like it came from the direction of SJ and the tea cart. SJ jumped back in surprise, withdrawing her gun and aiming it in the direction of the cart.

            Suddenly, the tea kettle and cup leapt into the air, dodging a shot that SJ had let off.

            “ATTACK,” the tea kettle called out.

            Then all hell broke loose.

            Danny turned from her position on the stairs to see that the castle started to come alive. Objects that were inanimate a few moment ago were now moving about, attacking the people that Danny had led here. Chairs started kicking the bottom of people’s legs, there were feather dusters flying everywhere and several people were getting bonked on the head by random things.

            Danny raced up the stairs, Mel close behind her. She had to get out of there and find the beast before there were any more surprises. If she could get to the beast, she could end this all.

            There was a yell from above her. When she looked up the stairs, a large piano was barreling down the steps towards her. She quickly dodged left, letting the piano roll past her and right into Mel.

            “Shit, Danny!” Mel yelled at her as the piano crashed into her.

            The piano squished Mel at the bottom of the stairs.

            Danny looked down at Mel and then back up to the top of the stairs. The beast had to be that way. She was so close, but Mel was trapped and needed help. As she moved towards Mel, she heard Mel yell.

            “No,” Mel told her. “Go!”

            Danny hesitated. She hated to leave her friend behind, but Mel had told her to go. Betty quickly descended upon Mel and the piano, attempting to pry it off Mel. She could help them and then go get the beast. A part of her was feeling guilty for bringing them all along now. She hadn’t anticipated that the beast had an army of… furniture.

            If she was going to do, she had to do it right. She started towards the bottom of the stairs, but then both Mel and Betty yelled at her to stop.

            “Go end this!” Betty yelled at her.

            Danny nodded then turned on her heels and started up the stairs towards the beast.

            She had to admit that after seeing the furniture come to life, she was shaken up. If that had happened, she couldn’t imagine what else the beast had up its sleeve.

            The stairs split into two different sections. One of them had to lead to the beast, but she wasn’t sure which. The noise of the battle below was deafening in her ears, but she had to push forward.

            Danny held the mirror up and then it lit up in the direction towards the west. That had to be where the beast was. She wasn’t sure how the mirror worked, but it didn’t matter at the moment. It was a tool that she could use.

            The thought of facing the beast sent Danny’s mind reeling. She didn’t know what it looked like in person or what it was capable of. It scared her a little bit, but it was too late now. She decided to do this and now she was going to follow through. For the town. For Laura.

            Danny moved her feet up the stairs, following the stairs towards the beast.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26

            Laura squirmed and struggled as much as she could when they strapped her to the hospital bed but she it was useless. She wasn’t strong enough against four nurses. The ER was bustling and full of patients, nurses and doctors. It was a wonder they had enough time and staff to put her in a bed there. There were people that surely needed more attention that she did, but the whole town was against her right now. They always had been. They thought she was weird and funny because she didn’t fit in with anyone in Silas. She didn’t think like the rest of them and they distrusted her which made this situation worse.

            The ER was so busy hardly anyone was paying attention to her and her dad. They had talked about moving her upstairs to the pysch ward but there wasn’t a single nurse that was available to do that right now. The last thing she wanted was to be moved upstairs. She wasn’t crazy and it would only make it harder for her to warn Carmilla.

            Carmilla. She wouldn’t think that Laura betrayed her right? Laura would never. Carmilla had to know her better than that. She could only hope that Carmilla wouldn’t. All she wanted to do right now was get back to her. To tell her everything that she hadn’t even sorted out or couldn’t tell her earlier.

             Danny would arrive and Carmilla would think that worst. That’s the way she thought. It was sad. Carmilla is more than the person that she believed herself to be. All Laura wanted to do was show her that now and… and forever. Subconsciously, she would know that Laura would never betray her, but without her there to tell her that, the instincts that were bore into her by her stepmother would supersede that.

            Laura didn’t know what Danny had planned for the raid on the castle. It couldn’t be anything good. It wouldn’t be good for either Danny or Carmilla. Danny would sorely underestimate Carmilla and Carmilla wouldn’t hesitate to protect herself and the castle. It would only hurt her more if she hurt Danny. In the moment, she would be fine with it, but after, she would kick herself, berate herself and see herself as the beast that she looked like. Laura had seen that she was more than what she thought of herself and wanted to remind Carmilla of that. Unfortunately, she was strapped to a hospital bed, unable to do that.

            As she turned her head in frustration, her dad came into her view. He was awake and strapped to a hospital bed like her. His eyes were staring at the ceiling, unmoving. There had to be so many thoughts running through his head right now. None of them good. Especially if his medications were incorrect.

            “Dad?” she spoke, hardly recognizing her own voice.

            He turned his head to face her and he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

            “Laura,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry for everything.”

            “It’s not your fault dad,” Laura reassured him. “None of this is your fault.”

            He just stared at her and didn’t say anything back, just stared at her with a full heart. No matter how bad any situation got, she knew that he would always be there for her and she for him.

            Laura looked around the room. There still weren’t any nurses or doctors paying attention to them. The policemen had left and there were no security guards in sight. It was like they just strapped her here and decided to forget that they existed.

            “We have to get out her dad,” Laura whispered. “I have to warn Carmilla-“

            “Carmilla? The beast? Warn it,” he questioned. “It’s a monster. It locked me up, it locked you up. I tried so hard to find you, to get you out of there but… How did you get away anyway?”

            Laura sighed and looked into his eyes with the most sincerity she could. This wouldn’t be easy to explain at all and there was no way he could understand it right away. She didn’t have the luxury to explain it all right now. There was only one thing she could tell him.

            “She let me go,” Laura told him. “She let me come back to you.”

            Confusion spread across his face. The way that Carmilla had handled things with her dad was enough for him to question her credibility.

            “I don’t understand,” her dad whispered.

            Laura knew that he wouldn’t. It wasn’t entirely a simple explanation or a normal one. You don’t meet the lov- someone you might be falling for by them tossing you in a prison cell for stealing a simple rose. Maybe it was something she could talk about with her mom if she was still around.

            Her mom. Laura suddenly remembered the letter and the photo she had found when Carmilla had taken her to Paris. She had placed it in her dress, not wanting it to leave her person. If she couldn’t explain it all, maybe it could help him understand for a moment.

            There was enough slack in the restraints for her to reach the letter and the photo in the side of her dress. She pulled it out and did her best to raise it and show it to her dad. His face completely changed at the sight of them. It was surprise, confusion and love. Laura hadn’t known that her dad kept the apartment in Paris for her and obviously, her dad never mentioned it.

            “She took me to Paris- the apartment in Paris,” Laura smiled at the memory. “It was the one that you and mom lived in for a while before you moved here. I didn’t know that you kept it for me all this time.”

            She watched as tears grew in her dad’s eyes.

            “She loved you, you know,” her dad tried to reach out to her, but couldn’t. “I wish she could’ve seen you grow up. She would be so proud of you. I did my best to care for you like she would have, but… life is hard. I tried to protect you. I have always tried to protect you… maybe too much.”

            “It’s okay dad,” Laura was now tearing up. “I get it. I understand.”

            They both reached out as much as they could with the restraints. Even though the restraints kept them from touching, it was a comforting gesture.

            “So,” she whispered to him. “You think you could help me get out of here?”

            “It’s dangerous,” her dad sighed. “And the beast… I can’t wrap my head around why you’d want to help it.”

            Laura chuckled a little bit. She knew that it was going to be, but she wanted to protect Carmilla. Carmilla was different from anyone she had ever known. Her past created her into a beast, but she had changed since then. Laura had seen that she was more than her appearance and her past. With more time, Carmilla could be the person that her father wanted her to be, the person that she seemed to want to be.

            Also, Laura couldn’t deny that she had grown to have feelings for her. They were messy, complicated feelings because of the circumstances, but they were feelings nonetheless. She still hadn’t sorted it all out, but she couldn’t divulge into that. Not when Carmilla was in danger. It worried Laura that even though there was no possible way for Danny to hurt her, the implications of her hurting Danny could greatly hurt her.

            “I know it’s dangerous dad,” Laura smiled awkwardly at him. “And Carm… Carm would never hurt me. She saved my life. It’s… complicated. She’s not the beast that she appears to be. There’s more to her than meets the eye. I actually think that she regrets a lot of her actions. She saved me and she also let me go. I didn’t ask her to let me go.”

            “Would your life have needed saving if… she wasn’t in it,” Sherman shook his head. “It sounds like you might… like her?”

            Laura averted her gaze from her dad and found the ceiling tiles more appealing than trying to explain all of this. She knew that this was something he wouldn’t understand at least not right away. Anyone wouldn’t understand this situation. It was crazy and Laura knew that it was, but she didn’t have time to try and make him understand.

            “Dad,” she sighed and mustered her courage to look back at him. “I know it all seems… insane, but I just really need you to help me out here. We can talk about this later. I promise.”

            “You’re sure that you’ll come back?”

            “Carm won’t hurt me, Danny won’t hurt me and if it comes down to it, Carm… She would do everything to protect me.”

            Sherman sighed and looked around the room.

            “Do you remember what I said to you when you told me you were a lesbian?’

            If Laura could scratch her head, she would have. She didn’t know where her dad was going with this.

            “Thank god you finally said it?” Laura questioned him.

            “Yes, but after that,” he chuckled.

            Laura knew where this was going now. He loved her so much and only wanted what was best for her. Thinking about that almost put tears in her eyes. After her mom died, he did his best to care for her and fill the gaps that a mother would normally fill. Coming out and talking to him about her dating life had never been easy. Despite the fact that she had never found anyone in Silas worth trying to date, it still was awkward when he tried to bring it up. However, he did his best and it was all Laura could’ve asked for.

            “You better find a girl who deserves you,” Laura quoted him.

            “Exactly,” Sherman whispered shouted. “And this might be shocking to you, but kidnapping, scary beast wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

            “I know dad, but I told you that it’s complicated and you have hardly even met her. She’s not the beast that everyone think that she is.”

            “Well,” her dad furrowed his eye brows. “She didn’t exactly leave a good first impression on me by tossing me into a dungeon for a rose. But, maybe, yes, it is more complicated than what I’ve seen. And she does get points for saving your life… So I guess… You should- You could return the favor.”

            Laura smiled widely. While she knew that her dad wasn’t so keen on this idea, he was still willing to go along with it and help her.

            “So sweetheart,” he continued. “Let’s get you out of here.”

            Laura curled her hand to make it as small as possible to try and slip out of it, but it was on just a little too tight. If she had a little more room, she could probably slip out of it.

            “If I could just get these a little looser, I could slip out of them,” Laura whispered to her dad.

            “There is a way by dislocating your thumb,” her dad joked. “But it would hurt, and I don’t want you to do that. It’s not a good idea and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

            Laura chuckled a little.

            “Let’s nix that option dad, I don’t really feel like accidently breaking my thumb or something right now. So, what’s the next option?”

            “Can you reach the restraints with your teeth?”

            Laura leaned forward and strained her body as much as she could, but she couldn’t reach the restraints with her teeth. She shook her head at her dad.

            “If you need a little bit more room to wiggle out, then we’ll have to get someone to loosen them for you.”

            Laura looked at him in confusion. There was no way that someone was going to loosen these restraints on her. One, they all thought she was crazy. Two, the people in this town never liked her. And three, Danny- who had this town in her pocket- had seemed to explicitly tell the doctor to keep her here and make her “better”.

            We just have to find a young, new doctor or nurse to loosen them for you,” Her dad added. “There must be one around here. Look for someone who looks a little lost, like they’re supposed to be here but don’t belong…”

            Laura looked around but had no idea what to actually look for. She wasn’t an expert at reading people. Honestly, it was something she struggled with expect for Carmilla… Most of the time, she could read her expression. There were moments if she had her back turned or sunglasses on that she couldn’t. Or there were also some moments where she couldn’t recognize the expression, but still, she could tell how she was feeling based on her face and body language.

            “There,” her dad whispered out to her and pointed.

            She traced her eyes to where her dad was pointing. He had pointed out a skinny male doctor with glasses making his way around the room. He was trying to help someone out, but he looked a little confused. His hands were extended beside him, and he was nodded at some woman like he knew exactly what he was saying.

            Laura realized that her dad must have picked up these skills when he was overseas on his tours. Survival instincts and being able to know and read a person must come in handy when you’re facing the enemy, wondering how dangerous and willing to kill you they are.

            She continued watching the skinny doctor. An older looking doctor came up behind him, placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulders and held him back slightly. Then glasses guy made his way away, defeat on his face. He did look very young and new around here. Laura wasn’t sure how her dad made that assessment so quickly.

            “Excuse me doctor,” her dad called to doctor as he passed.

            The doctor stopped in front of him, saw the restraints and then hesitated in approaching him. Her dad immediately recognized his expression and held up his hands.

            “I had a PTSD episode,” he shrugged at the doctor. “It’s over now.”

            Her dad had said it so matter-of-factly that it almost sounded like a completely normal thing. It wasn’t at all though. She had to wonder how her dad ended up getting an episode. He was always one to take his medication so diligently.

            “How can I help you, sir?” he asked quietly.

            “My daughter got restrained because she was trying to help me out of my episode and they thought she was endangering me,” her dad explained. “It seemed that they made her restraints much too tight when she doesn’t deserve it. She was just a kid trying to help her dad out, you don’t think she deserves right restraints, do you?”

            The doctor took a look at Laura, smiled and then looked back at her dad.

            “No sir, but I can’t do that,” he said apologetically. “It’s not something I can do.”

            “I’m worried about the circulation to her hands,” her dad said softly. “Please, just a little bit. It’s not for me. It’s my daughter doc… I’m just a single dad doing the best I can for her…”

            The doctor took another look over at Laura, who decided to try and play it off like the restraints were hurting her hands.

            She flexed her hands and contorted her face to look like she was extremely uncomfortable. That part wasn’t hard. She wasn’t comfortable on the hospital bed and she wasn’t quite comfortable with getting this young doctor to help her escape without knowing it. But, she was doing what she had to do.

            The doctor took a look around him as if looking for that older doctor that would call him out. He made his way over to Laura, checked her chart and then nodded.

            “You were just trying to help your dad, huh?” he asked kindly.

            “I’ve calmed him down from an episode before,” she sighed sadly. “It’s not easy and I did it because I didn’t think the people around him were doing it correctly.”

            The doctor nodded, put her chart down and made his way over to the side of her bed.

            “Don’t tell anyone I did this for you,” he smiled softly at her.

            Laura nodded.

            He loosened her left side restraint first and then her right side. It felt a lot better and more comfortable than before. She suddenly felt really bad about using this poor guy to get out of here. He was just being kind and here Laura was, asking him to help her escape without his knowledge. She really wished there could’ve been another way, but it was too late now. Her restraints were loose, and she hoped it was loose enough to slip through them.

            “Thank you doctor,” Laura smiled at him.

            He nodded and then made his way back through the ER. Laura didn’t keep track of where he went, she just hoped it was away from here when she made her way out.

            “That’s perfect,” her dad commented. “Can you slip out now?”

            Laura curled her hand again and pulled it. It was loose enough and her hand slipped right out of the restraint. She looked up to her dad in glee.

            “Great,” her dad whispered. “Now go. Get out of here quickly before anyone takes notice that you’re supposed to be strapped there.”

            Laura quickly slipped her other hand out of the restraint and took a look around. No one was paying any attention to them. All the nurses and doctors were preoccupied with other patients and people.

            She hopped off the bed, did a quick look around again. No one was stopping her. Then she quickly started walking casually towards the exit.

            “Good luck sweetheart,” her dad whispered to her.

            Laura gave a big smile and then continued towards the exit. She was able to make it out without anyone stopping her.

            When she stepped outside, she realized that her next problem was getting to the castle quickly. She didn’t have a car and she doubted that her dad had left his car here. Luckily, the horse that she had ridden to the hospital was still around.

            It was sitting across the road, chomping on a small patch of flowers in front of someone’s apartment complex. It was a miracle that it was still there. Then again, it probably had to do with magic or something. Laura never knew what to expect from anything that came from the castle.

            As she approached the horse, it didn’t move or shy away. Before hopping on the back of it, she tore off the outer layer of the dress. She was now in the inner layer of the dress which was just a plain white underdress.

            She tore through the streets of Silas as she made her way back to the castle. Even though she wasn’t quite sure where it was, she knew that it would find her. The path would open for her like it did once before.

            The edge of the forest was quickly approaching, and she didn’t hesitate to head straight for it. It wasn’t the same spot she entered to find her dad and it wasn’t the same spot she had come back to Silas from, but as soon as she found herself surrounded with trees, she knew to go deep into it.

            Eventually, as she rode further and further into the forest, a path started to form in front of her. Hoping it was the direction to the castle, she urged the horse to go faster down it.

            She only hoped that she wasn’t going to be too late. So much time had passed Danny left, too much time, she couldn’t even imagine what they could be doing to each other.

            Carmilla had tried so hard to be a different person with Laura and she could only hope that something stuck with Carmilla. Something that would be enough to stop her from hurting anyone permanently. She was a good person on the inside if she let herself be, but it could only take a moment for all of that slip away.

            Laura believed that Carmilla was strong enough to hold back and think about what she was doing. However, Danny could be infuriating and if Danny decided to mention that she was there to help Laura, too rescue her, it would probably send Carmilla over the edge.

            It seemed like getting to the castle was taking forever. Thankfully, the turrets of the castle started coming into view. She was close and her heart started to race. A part of it was because she knew that she was walking straight into a battle and the other part was because she was going to see Carmilla again. She would see Carmilla’s beautiful, soft brown eyes and she the woman who she had grown feelings for in the past few days.

            Thinking about Carmilla like that warmed her heart. She couldn’t wait to see her again as soon as she left, and now she was returning to her. The circumstances were less than ideal though. It seemed that their circumstances would never be normal.

            Laura kicked the flanks, urging the horse to go faster. She was really pushing this horse’s limits, but she needed to get to Carmilla as soon as she could. She wasn’t sure what state she would be in when she got there.

            As she got closer and closer to the castle, she saw people running out of the entrance doors. They were all people from Silas, ones that probably followed Danny here.

            She stopped right in front of the stairs to the entrance doors, ignoring and dodging everyone that was running out. They paid no attention to her. It made her wonder if Carmilla had managed to scare them all out, but there was one person she didn’t see in particular on her way into the castle. Danny. Danny had to be looking or battling Carmilla.

            The entrance doors were barely hanging on to its hinges and the foyer looked like someone had just thrown a large party. Things were thrown everything, dust and dirt on the ground and broken furniture all over the place.

            People were in a panic in the foyer. The castle staff were all over the place, attacking the people of Silas with whatever they could. There was gunfire going off somewhere and it scared Laura for a moment. With one look around, she knew that Carmilla was not here. There was no growling or roaring. It actually worried Laura.

            She ran as fast as she could up the stairs towards the west wing. If Carmilla was going to be anywhere, that’s where Laura would bet, she would be. Maybe she was protecting the rose or something.

            Laura got even more worried when she reached Carmilla’s bedroom to see that the doors had been broken open. She quickly ran into the bedroom, but she was nowhere to be found.

            Then she heard a gunshot ring in her ears, just outside towards the balcony.

---------------

            Will sat in the foyer of the castle next to the castle staff. Perry had her head rested on LaFontaine’s shoulder. Theo was snuggled up next to Mrs. Potts on the tea cart. Kirsch had his head hung, staring into the fire with his hand hovering over the heat. It seemed that it was all over. 

            They all thought that with the time they were given, Carmilla would have eventually broken the curse. The flower petals never dropped as quick as they had in the past week. They had never believed that this day would come. Hope was all run out.

            Even Will who clung to the hope of breaking the curse and did his best to help Carmilla with it, it was over. Laura had left and there was very little chance that she was going to come back. Will had thought that Laura had enough feelings for his dear sister to stick around and help them all with the curse, but she hadn’t. Her dad was in danger and he was the priority. Will would have done with same thing if it was for Carmilla, so there was no blame there.

            Will had tried to keep Carmilla happy for as long as he could after the curse fell on the castle. It was a futile effort though. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t help her. She fell into a pit of self-pity and anger. It reflected greatly on the castle.

            “At least she has finally learned how to love,” LaFontaine sighed.

            “I am happy that she realized how to feel human again,” Will stated. “But Laura doesn’t love her in return. That has to hurt her.”

            “I really had hope that she would have,” Perry said downturned. “Alas, the curse is not broken, and we are still here. Maybe if we had more time…”

            “We don’t though,” Will said in frustration.

            Suddenly, there was an odd sound out the window. All of them perked up at the sound and turned towards the window. It sounded like boots on the ground, walking towards the castle.

            Theo quickly hoped up in the window, looking out.

            “Did you hear that,” Theo said happily. “Is it her? Is she coming back?”

            Will and the rest of them approached the window. Hope rang in his chest. If Laura was coming back, then there was a real chance that they could break the curse. She could save them. Also, if she was coming back, she had to have real feelings for Carmilla to come back here of her own free will.

            “Could it be?” LaFontaine asked curiously.

            Will peered through the frosted glass. It was hard to see what was out there, but it was certainly more than one person. It was a whole mob of people carrying flashlights that shined against the darkness of the garden. There were shouts and jeers. Will saw that they were holding things in their hands and could only assume it was weapons.

            “Oh shit,” LaFontaine shouted. “Invaders!”

            “Ruffians!” Mrs. Potts shouted.

            “So much for true love,” Will mumbled.

            He had really thought that Laura was different. Instead of coming back here herself, she had sent a mob of angry townspeople to come take of them. He was disappointed in himself for letting her get into Carmilla’s life. She wouldn’t take this well. He was supposed to protect her from this kind of thing. It was like their stepmother. He failed in protecting her from that and now he had failed with Laura. They were all so keen on helping her break the curse, they had completely let their walls fall down and hadn’t even considered if Laura was a genuine person.

            Well, Will had considered it, but he had been wrong. He thought Laura was a good person and the right person for his sister, but here they were. He had been wrong.

            “Man the barricades, and hold fast!” Will shouted at everyone.

            They all ran towards the entrance doors, grabbing everyone that they could to help hold the doors closed. Elise, Peter, Will, LaFontaine, Mrs. Potts, Kirsch, Theo and Perry pushed up against the doors. They could hear the people approaching the doors.

            It grew quiet for a moment and then there was a push on the door. Then a pull. Shouts started to grow outside the door. Will wasn’t sure what they were doing, but it didn’t sound like they were just going to leave because the door was locked.

            With the shouts growing, there was a large bang on the lock. Then the banging continued constantly. Eventually, there was a small hole and the moonlight shone through it. Will grew more worried as the hole grew bigger. A human hand reach through once it was big enough and moved the lock. The door attempted to move, but they all held it back.

            More force started being applied to the door. Will knew that they couldn’t hold it for long. Eventually, they would be overpowered, and they would get into the castle. Will had to go get Carmilla to help them. She was strong enough to keep them out.

            “We need help,” Will shouted as the door hinges started breaking.

            Will stopped pushing on the door and bounded towards the staircase towards Carmilla’s room.

            He reached Carmilla’s room in record time, but she wasn’t there. He quickly made his way out onto the balcony, but she wasn’t there either.

            “What do you want Will?” he heard a voice from above him.

            Will looked up to see Carmilla perched on top of the turret of her tower, picking at the falling stone. Her voice had to bite to it, it just sounded sad… defeated. It was something that Will had been used to seeing, but something was different this time. Instead of being met with anger and wrath, it was sullenness and apathy. Carmilla may not have had the nicest of feelings, but at least she had them. Now, it was like it was all gone. The anger, the happiness. All of the feelings were just gone.

            “I’m sorry Carmilla, but-“

            “She’s not coming back Will,” Carmilla said monotonal. “She’s never coming back.”

            “I- That’s- No,” Will shouted. “That castle is under attack.”

            Carmilla didn’t even flinch. She stood as still as stone in her position. There was no indication of her moving to come help them at all. She let a few moments pass between them. They felt like hours to Will because the mob could break down the doors at any moment.

            “It doesn’t matter now,” Carmilla sighed. “The last petal will soon fall. Just let them come.”

            Will had never seen Carmilla like this before. Normally, she would be at the entrance in a moment’s notice to scare off anyone who dared to enter the castle. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew that he wasn’t going to give up and let the mob come hurt his sister.

            “Carmi-“ Will started.

            “Just go Will,” Carmilla interrupted him.

            He wasn’t sure if leaving her was the right call right now, but if they were going to try and protect Carmilla and the castle, they needed all hands-on deck. He could only hope that Carmilla would change her mind before the stormed in on her.

            Carmilla didn’t move as Will made his way back into her bedroom.

            He was very worried for her, but it wasn’t a good time to talk about it. They had to take care of the intruders first.

            When he got back down towards the entrance, it was hell. They doors were blown open, barely holding onto its hinges.

            There were sounds of things being swung around, gunshots were going off but once the mob found that they were useless against magic, talking antiques, they were quickly thrown to the side.

            Peter rolled off one of the women that arrived and watched as she sat up with the help of another.

            Perry quickly flew over to them and started throwing dust in their faces.

            “Take that you petty intruders! Each my dirt!” she shouted at them.

            The two women swatted at her, but she dodged them and laughed as she flew away. It was a sight to see. Will had never seen Perry like that before. Then again, no one had ever tried to attack the castle before. This was all new territory for them.

            All Will could think to do was to join the fight. He watched as Theo rapidly launched some tea saucers at the attackers. The young man looked to be enjoying himself as he did it.

            “One! Two! Three! Four! Five!” Theo shouted as all of the saucers hit a townsperson in their face. Will was honestly impressed.

            “Nice job Theo,” Will smiled at him. “Keep it up!”

            Will wished that he was human again, a normal height with his sword in hand. He could have easily bested any one of these lackwits in a sword match. He wasn’t sure what he could do with the state he was in now. There wasn’t much he could do being a clock and all.

            Then a swarm of books flew down from above them and started flying in all of the townspeople’s faces. Will watched with glee and pride as they fended off the people and defended the castle from them. He had to keep them away from Carmilla.

            “There we go! Give them the sharpest papercuts possible!” Will yelled.

            Apparently, that seemed to grab the attention of a few men in front of him. They all turned and stalked toward him. He had nothing to defend himself. He was just a clock, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight at least.

            “That’s right boys,” Will yelled at them. “We’ve got you and you can’t get past us.”

            Will quickly reached into his gears and pulled one out, wielding it like a sword. Without thinking, he threw it up into one of the men’s face. It hit him square in the eye and he stumbled backwards, tripping onto his ass.

            Just as he was about to pull another gear out, Elise leapt out from behind him. She placed herself in between him and the men. Fabric started flying everywhere and Will couldn’t tell what she was doing.

            “Yes, that’s it,” she yelled with glee. “Look at you pretty, pretty boys. You should dress like this more often.”

            Elise removed herself so that Will could see what she had done. They were all wrapped up in restricting dresses. The men shrieked at each other’s appearances. Elise laughed and then kicked them backwards towards the door.

            “Be free gentlemen and never come back!” Elise yelled at them.

            If they kept this up, Will believed that they could have them all screaming and running away like children in no time.

            Will continued watching as the fighting ensued on in the foyer of the castle. His fellow castle mates were all around, throwing things and hitting the invaders. The invaders were doing their best to fight back, but shotguns and axes didn’t have much of an effect on magical inanimate objects. Even they managed to destroy one of them, it would only be a matter of time before they were fixed and back up again.

            One time, Carmilla had accidently shattered Will by tossing him across the room. About an hour later, all of his gears and pieces were back in their rightful place. Even though she would never admit it, she worried that she had actually hurt him.

            The sounds of shots and breaking glass were heard all throughout the room. Will saw Mrs. Potts leap up onto a chandelier.

            “How do you take your tea? Piping hot? Or boiling?” she shouted at the people below her.

            Then she stopped for a moment, surprise on her face as if she had seen a ghost.

            “Mr. Potts?” she gasped.

            Will looked at the man she was staring at. It was an older man and Will had no doubt that he had looked familiar. He could picture seeing him from somewhere. His human memories were such a blur. He knew that he had them, but it was like looking at them underwater, there but unable to truly see them.

            That’s when he turned and recognized not one, but two faces.

            “Mattie? Elle?”

            He saw Elle sneaking up the stairs, to who knows where. Perhaps she had memories of the castle, but… she couldn’t have. Elle didn’t recognize Carmilla when she went to visit her. Maybe she knew that she was somewhere familiar. It blew Will’s mind that she was still alive. It had been almost three hundred years since he last saw her… the night of the ball.

            Then there was Mattie. Will hadn’t seen her in so long. She had denied the invitation to the ball that night in lieu of her trip to Milan. He couldn’t believe that she was still alive too. It seemed that the magic had more reach than they all thought. It made him wonder why Carmilla had never mentioned any of this on her few visits to town.

             Mattie wasn’t a part of their family biologically, but she had grown up with him and Carmilla. She was an extension of their stepmother’s family but wasn’t her stepmother’s biological child. They weren’t quite sure how she fit in with their stepmother, but Mattie was always around. She and Carmilla would get in all sorts of trouble growing up. As soon as she was old enough though, she ditched Silas and away from their stepmother. She didn’t visit often, but Carmilla was always happy when she did. Will didn’t get along with her as well as Carmilla did.

            Mattie looked absolutely scattered though. It wasn’t look that Will saw from her ever. She was always poised and brutally honest with anyone she came across. It was like her eyes couldn’t believe what she was seeing, whether it was the flying furniture or the castle, he wasn’t sure.

            His eyes were torn away from Mattie as Peter bucked a townsperson right out the door. The sound piano notes rang out.

            “Such sweet music! If you like that, I’ll play you a whole concerto!” he shouted.

            A young girl turned and pointed at Peter.

            “Silence that piano!” she called out.

            A few of the townspeople started to corner Peter with their shotguns raised. If he were human, he would have been a goner.

            “Maestro!” Will heard a shrill voice from above.

            Elise was looking down upon Peter and the people that had surrounded him.

            “Elise, darling, so good to see you!” Peter called back.

            “I’m coming, dear Maestro,” Elise sang out. “Time for me everyone to hear me sing!”

            Will covered his ears as Elise let out a massive high note and threw herself off the balcony which scattered all of the townspeople below. They all hit the deck, avoiding Elise’s large area.

            Before all of the villagers could scatter, Peter fired his piano keys out of his mouth hitting all of them and sending them down on the floor once again.

            A flash of golden, blonde hair whipped past him and up the stairs. It was Laura. Will couldn’t believe his eyes. The girl had returned, but… he didn’t know why she was here. His immediate conclusion was that she was with the townspeople, but her expression said something else.

            Laura actually looked worried and terrified while running up the stairs. He wasn’t sure why the expression, but she was back. Carmilla would either be extremely happy or extremely… angered if she wasn’t here for the reason that Will hoped she was.

            They had stopped all of the townspeople from reaching Carmilla so if Laura was here to see her again and stop the townspeople, they already did that for her.

            There was a loud explosion behind Will which made him jump and turn around. LaFontaine had just sent a line of firecrackers off, sending the townspeople out the doors.

            Pretty soon, they had all of the townspeople running for their lives out the door.

            “Bon voyage!” LaFontaine yelled out to them.

            “And stay out!” Will added.

            Even though he wasn’t human, he still felt very protective of his sister and the castle. It was as much his home as it was Carmilla’s. As time grew, he did feel less and less like the prince of the castle as he was in the same state as the staff. He was still the prince nonetheless though and he had to remind himself of that often.

            His memories of the past were so scattered and blurry. He knew who he was and what had happened to them, but the specifics of certain people and events were… hard to reach. It was like they were there, but he couldn’t quite reach out and touch them.

            There were people that he had clear in his mind that he should know but didn’t know why. There were people like Mattie and Elle that he remembered knowing and who they were to him. Then there were those memories of the people in the castle that were cursed with him. Those memories were very scattered.

            He knew he was the prince of Silas, but actually being the prince… It was a life that he was barely holding onto. He had spent a lot more time as a clock and an antique like the rest of the castle staff than he had as his role as the prince. He felt like he should miss it… But it was hard to miss something that you could barely remember.

            The one thing he held onto all these years was helping and protecting Carmilla. His dear sister. While she had grown up to be selfish and cruel towards people, he always knew that there was something else there. Something that had been buried deep because of their lifestyle and their stepmother.

            He had tried to steer her in the right direction before, but his efforts were constantly suppressed by outside forces.

            Right now, he wasn’t sure why Laura was here. He could only hope that it was for the right reasons. He was now just putting together that he couldn’t always protect Carmilla the way he wanted too. There were things that Carmilla would experience and have to deal with herself. He would be there for her, but ultimately, he couldn’t protect her from everything.

            Perhaps Laura coming back was a good sign. After everything maybe, the young girl shared the same feelings that Carmilla did. It would only be a matter of time before it became clear. They didn’t have much time left. That sliver of hope that he had let go of when Laura left was now back. He would hang onto that as they fell into their final moments.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27 (WARNING)

            Carmilla heard the loud noises coming from the foyer- the sound of people yelling and screaming, shots being fired and her staff, trying to keep the intruders of the castle out. She didn’t care much now. Time was slowly dwindling. The last rose petal was starting to wilt. If the townspeople remained when the last petal fell, her staff would become antiques and could no longer prevent them from coming for her. Then she would hope that they could hurt her- end her long, long life of misery before it got worse.

            She couldn’t help but think that she had been wrong about Laura all along. The moment she had let her go, she had told everyone about the castle, about her. Maybe, the entire time that she had been interacting with her it had all been an act to get her freedom.

            Some part of her couldn’t blame Laura though. She had kidnapped her and been cruel to her. Betraying her shouldn’t have been a surprise. Even though Carmilla had tried to give her everything- including her own heart- Laura still couldn’t forgive her for everything mean and cruel that she had done. It didn’t matter though. In a few moments time, she would be alone, a beast for the rest of eternity. It was destined to be this way and she couldn’t believe that she had thought otherwise for a moment.

            However, a small part of her kept telling her that Laura would never betray her. They had spent too much time together and conveyed so many emotions to each other. Laura had gotten Carmilla to open up about things that a normal kidnapped person wouldn’t care about. She had also opened up to Carmilla and trusted her with some things that wouldn’t have mattered if she knew or not as her captor.

            The back and forth in her head made it spin. She couldn’t think about it. Besides, the curse was going to take it’s hold soon, and it wouldn’t matter if Laura really had feeling for her or not. No one would want to spend their entire life with a beast, especially one that would live forever.

            Carmilla had prepared herself to be a beast, alone forever for years and years, then Laura had come into her life and messed it all up.

            The sounds of the battle below distracted her from hearing someone coming up to the west wing. It was when her door opened that she realized that someone had entered her room. She assumed to was Will back again to try and convince her to protect the castle from the invaders. There was little point to it though, pretty soon they would be nonexistent and Carmilla would be alone with nothing but castle ruins. It would be a fruitless effort to protect a broken castle.

            Instead of small metal legs clanking against stone, she heard the sound of soft boots and long strides. It wasn’t Will. It was one of the townspeople, probably coming to kill her.

            Carmilla turned towards the person entering onto the balcony. It was a tall, redheaded woman. She was almost a whole foot taller than her. They locked eyes. The intruder had stark blue eyes with an intensity that read justice and punishment. The woman had a large shotgun pointed at her, determination in her eyes as she cocked it.

            “Hello beast,” the woman spoke. “I’m Danny. Laura told me about you. You- a beast, monster- kidnapping an innocent girl and her father over nothing.”

            Carmilla let out a breath and turned back to her view of the castle. She couldn’t help but think that Laura had sent this woman- Danny- after her. But, no. Laura wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t have someone try to kill her. At least, the Laura Carmilla had gotten to know wouldn’t do that. Then again… Carmilla still felt like maybe she had been wrong about Laura all this time. It was Laura though. That small part of her that kept telling her that Laura would never betray her was getting louder in her head. Maybe it was her own way with coping with this and trying to hold onto the picture the Laura that she knew. Maybe it was just that really did know that Laura would never. Still, it didn’t matter. Time was almost up and she didn’t have anything else to hold onto except the girl that she had fallen for.

             The sound Danny tightening her grip on the pistol filled her ears. Her self-preservation instincts weren’t kicking in because she didn’t want them too. If the woman fired, it would hurt, but it wouldn’t kill her. It didn’t matter what this Danny did. A life of misery was the only future she had.

            “You kidnapped a poor, innocent girl,” Danny spoke up as she approached closer to Carmilla. “And you think that was okay? You didn’t think that someone would come looking for her? To save her?”

            Carmilla didn’t answer. There was nothing Danny could say that Carmilla hadn’t already told herself. In fact, the things that she told herself were much worse than what Danny could throw at her.

            “Omigod,” Danny breathed out. “Were you in love with her? Did you really think that she could feel the same after what you did to her? Do have any idea how wrong that is?”

            Carmilla moved her arm to run her hand through her hair, but she didn’t get the chance.

            A large bang ripped through her ears and it was followed by an immediate sharp pain in the back of her shoulder. The amount of pain surprised Carmilla and she lost her footing on the stone turret, falling over tumbling onto the roof making her ways towards the ground.

            She quickly extended her arms out, her claws making contact with the slanted roof to stop her fall. Her claws ripped into the roof, leaving large marks in it. When she finally stopped moving, she took a large breath. The pain in her shoulder was a greater pain than she had ever felt. Her heavy breath was evident of that.

            Danny was looking over the railing at her, shotgun pointed in her direction, right at her face. Carmilla didn’t move, but looked eyes with the shooter and braced herself for the imminent pain. She watched as Danny cocked the gun, readying to fire, but then the shotgun was knocked straight out of her hands and over the turret.

            Danny turned away from her and towards the reason she had dropped her gun, disbelief and shock on her face. Laura was standing there, worry and fortitude in her eyes. Carmilla could hardly believe her own eyes. She had come back. Not only that, but she had stopped this woman from shooting her. Her faith in Laura was correct. She knew she knew Laura.

            “Laura?” Danny said in confusion.

            “Where is she?” Carmilla heard Laura shout.

            There was so much bravery and conviction in Laura’s voice that it intimidated Carmilla. She had never heard such Laura speak in such a tone.

            Danny moved and gripped Laura’s shoulder.

            “Come on Laura,” Danny said furiously. “I will take you home and we’ll talk about his after I have finished taking care of this beast. Maybe over dinner or something?”

            “Hell NO,” Laura growled at her.

            Carmilla couldn’t see what was happening next, but she heard the two started struggling. She needed to get up there and help Laura, but for some reason she couldn’t move from her stop on the roof. Pain ripped through her shoulder every time she tried to move it.

            Danny was now on very close to the edge of the turret- half of her backfoot was off the edge. Carmilla could now see the pistol being fought over between the two of them. Laura yanked the pistol hard from Danny, but Danny had refused to let go. She pulled back with such force that she swung with the pistol, trying to get her footing back on the turret, but misses. She started falling off the side.

            Instead of falling down towards the ground, Danny quickly let go of the pistol, grabbed one of the gargoyles on the turret and swinging herself over through one of the tower windows.

            Carmilla moved her eyes from where Danny had been and to where the pistol had fallen. It clattered down on the landing of the footbridge below the turret.

            Finally, Carmilla is able to move. She claws her way around the turret. Then there was a large rumbling sound. Stone started falling all around her, she gripped the stone as hard as she could, hoping not get hit by any of the falling stone.

            The last petal… It was close to falling. There was practically no time left. The castle was falling apart all around her. Unlike the last time petals fell, the rumbling and crumbling didn’t stop. It was hard to continue climbing against the stone, but Laura had come back. She had to get up, she had to see Laura and tell her how she felt.

            “I’m coming for you beast!” she heard Danny yell from inside the tower.

            Carmilla moves her way around, looking for a way to get off the side of tower. Out of the corner of her eye, she briefly saw Danny drop from the window box onto another, moving closer to her. Danny was surprisingly determined and agile for a regular human being.

            It scared Carmilla how much pain she was in right now. She had never felt this much pain since the day she was transformed into a beast. She could feel the pain rip through her shoulder as leapt from one parapet to another to reach Laura.

            She could see Laura in her view reaching the bottom of one of staircases and leaping onto a landing adjacent to her. Her eyes looked up, searching. They stopped as she made eye contact with Carmilla.

            Carmilla jumped once more, getting as far as she could from Danny and as close to Laura as she could. The pain ripped through her once more causing her to her grip on the parapet. She felt herself start to slip down. Laura’s surprised and scared scream filled her ears.

            “NO!” Laura yelled out.

            For the first time in a long time, Carmilla was scared for her life. With the pain in her shoulder, she wasn’t sure what would happen if she were to fall. If you asked her yesterday, she would have believed to survive the fall, but her instincts were kicking her and telling her that a fall that large would be detrimental.

            Carmilla finally got her grip back, stopping just as her feet reached the edge of the parapet.

            “Laura!” Carmilla yelled back her.

            She wasn’t sure why she yelled back. Maybe it was reassuring Laura that she was okay, or it was just comforting knowing that Laura was still there.

            “You came back!” Carmilla added.

            “I tried to stop them!” Laura exasperated.

            Carmilla knew it. She knew that Laura would never betray her. This was her Laura. Her sun. She couldn’t believe that she had doubted her for one second. Her heart was soaring right now and the only thing that would make this better was to be next to her, to feel that she was really here.

            Laura started moving towards her, looking around for something to bring her closer to her.

            It was too dangerous for Laura to try and make it closer to her. Not only did everything not have safety railing, the castle was still falling apart. The shaking had diminished but it had not stopped.

            “Stay there,” Carmilla yelled with urgency. “It’s too dangerous. I’m coming to you!”

            As Carmilla started to move on the parapet, she could see Danny moving around in her view. Danny was on one of the walkways surrounded by gargoyles, right in the path Carmilla had to take to get to Laura.

            Carmilla used her extreme strength to make the jump to one of the central turrets to Laura. She could see Laura making her way to Carmilla’s room. From one the central turrets, she made the leap onto the walkway with gargoyles. Laura was now on the balcony of Carmilla’s room, leaning over, watching Carmilla’s movements.

            Suddenly, Carmilla felt a bludgeoning on her back. It wasn’t like the gunshot though. It felt hard and cold, but there wasn’t much pain around the area it had hit. The pain she felt came ripping from her back shoulder. She roared out and pushed Danny to the side. There was no way she would let some idiot human stop her from getting to Laura.

            Danny flew back against one of the gargoyles, but that didn’t stop her. She recovered quickly and stomped back towards Carmilla, still hanging onto the stone that had broken off one of the gargoyles. Danny yelled at her and gave Carmilla another blow. Carmilla dodged it, but then was met by another blow. This human was relentless.

            Carmilla took the blow and knocked Danny back once more. It wasn’t as hard as last time, staggering Danny backward. Carmilla finally wobbled her way to a staircase, making her way onto one of the stone footbridges. Danny was still right on her heels.

            “Danny,” she heard Laura call from the balcony. “Stop it!”

            With every step Carmilla took, she could hear and see the stone crumbling underneath her. The castle was so fragile. She was able to make it across to the cupola perpendicular to Carmilla’s balcony. There was only one jump between her and Laura… one large jump. She could make it. There was no doubt about it.

            She heard Danny behind her and turned around to meet her just as she swung the stone in her direction. Carmilla stopped the stone from hitting her, ripped it out of Danny’s hands and hurled it away from the both of them. She roared at the human, causing her to step backward a few steps. Carmilla advanced on her.

            Danny’s look of determination and anger started to fade from her eyes, replaced with fear and unsureness. Carmilla grabbed her by the throat and dug her claws into it. Danny reached out at her, but her blows were like a mother’s swat on her child.  She was so done with this human right now. She had tried to ignore her, warn her from trying anything, but now Danny was getting on her nerves. Danny wouldn’t stop her from getting to Laura, she wouldn’t let this disgusting human hurt her anymore.

            With her grip on Danny’s throat, she swung her over and held her over the edge of the landing. Danny’s hands quickly wrapped around her wrists, holding onto them for her dear life.

            “No,” Danny pleaded. “Don’t let me go. Please, don’t hurt me beast. I’ll do anything.”

            There was nothing more in the world that she wanted to do than let this human fall to her death. She was trying to hurt her, and she had not listened to Laura. Danny wasn’t letting her get to Laura, even after Carmilla had tried to ignore her. Her head was filled with anger and rage, but something in the back of her mind told her to show her mercy and let her go.

            She wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from, but it was getting louder and louder. She wasn’t the same person she was when she had last punished someone. Killing Danny would only darken her and remind her of someone she used to be, and it was someone she didn’t want to be anymore.

            The beast she appeared to be wasn’t who she was anymore. Danny had called her a beast and that angered her. That wasn’t her. She wasn’t who she appeared to be, Laura saw that and now she was realizing it. If she truly was changed and if she truly wanted to continue changing, she had to show it and make the right decisions.

            Slowly, her anger and rage started fading, reminding herself that she was different, she had changed.

            “I am not a beast,” Carmilla growled and spat at Danny.

            Carmilla brought Danny back over the landing and tossed her aside. Danny roughly landed on the stone, sliding backwards slightly. As Danny recovered, Carmilla roared and stalked towards her.

            “Go,” she growled. “Get out and never come back.”

            Danny scrambled backwards and Carmilla lunged at her. She chased Danny down until the outer staircase of the cupola. As soon as Danny was out of her view, she returned to the cupola and looked up. Laura was still on the balcony, watching her intensely. There was a proud look and smile on her face.

            There was only a chasm separating them now. Carmilla could make it.

            She backed up to the edge of the cupola, getting a running start to make the leap to the balcony across from her.

            “No,” Laura yelled. “It’s too far!”

            Carmilla knew she could make it and she was already running towards the opposite edge when Laura yelled at her. Her claws on her feet were digging into the stone beneath her, getting as much speed as possible to easily make the jump.

            She felt herself fly through the air, over the chasm, Laura waiting for her. Time was slow, she couldn’t reach the balcony fast enough, no matter how fast or strong she was. But finally, she reached the balcony, landing on her feet and using one hand to hold her steady.

            It was like she had finally touched the sun. She rose up and looked at Laura. Laura was so beautiful and shining. She had come back to Carmilla and Carmilla couldn’t believe it. Her ears tuned into the beautiful heartbeat that was Laura’s.

            She was so tuned into it, she didn’t her the shoot ring out from behind her. A splitting pain ripped through her chest. It was like no pain she had experienced before. She had fallen from the top of the castle and other things to end her life, but none of that had given her much pain. Not like this. She couldn’t understand what was so different about this time. Out of all the times, why was she feeling this now? What was the cause of this?

            Another shot rang out and she couldn’t move to dodge it. Another sharp pain ripped through her chest again and darkness filled the edge her vision. She started collapsing towards the floor, using her hands to stop her chest from hitting the stone, but she couldn’t hold herself up. Her back met the stone and as she looked down, she saw a mix of black and red dripping from her chest.

            The red surprised her. She hadn’t seen anything red and blood like come from her body in a long time. All she had ever seen before was black goo. She couldn’t understand what was happening. After all the times she had tried to take her own life, the one time she didn’t want to die- especially by someone else’s hand- she felt like she was.

            The edge of her vision was getting darker and darker. There was a weird thumping in her chest that started quickly for a moment and then started slowing. Air. She found herself needing air for the first time in two centuries, but she couldn’t get enough of it. This is what dying felt like?

            Carmilla felt something move beside her and a pair of hands lifted her head up. In the middle of the black, she saw Laura- so beautiful and radiant. Her sun.

            With a lot of effort, Carmilla reached up and grasped Laura’s hand in her own. There was no doubt that she was in love with Laura now. The girl had come back for her. Laura had come back with no regard for her own safety, she was here for Carmilla. Despite everything- the bad things especially- Laura had come back.

            Carmilla loved Laura more than she could ever know. Laura had slowly yet suddenly crawled her way in Carmilla’s heart. She could have never imagined falling in love with a girl like her- any girl at all- in three hundred years.

            “You came back,” Carmilla breathed out heavily.

            Laura laughed a little.

            “Of course, I came back,” she replied, tears forming in her eyes. “I’ll never leave you again Carm.”

            “I’m afraid it’s my turn to leave,” Carmilla sighed.

            “I thought you couldn’t die,” Laura chocked, tears streaming down her face.

            “It seems that things have changed,” Carmilla laughed sarcastically. “Maybe it was because it was me trying to do the killing. Maybe it was because there were so many petals left… Maybe it was because I have changed since then.”

            Carmilla took Laura’s hand and placed it over her chest.

            “You have a heartbeat?” Laura asked softly.

            “It seems so,” Carmilla smiled at her. “More the enchantress cursing me in the worst way possible. But I’m glad I got to see you once last time. I’m glad that you showed me who I could be and who I want to be. You’re everything Laura and I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”

            “Stop that,” Laura whispered. “Don’t talk like you’re dying. We’re together now. It’s going to fine. You’ll see.”

            Carmilla knew that she was just saying that for comfort. The darkness was now edging her way towards the center of her vision. It was only a matter of seconds before she faded. Sweet, sweet Laura. Her love. She hadn’t been lying. She wouldn’t change anything for the world. No matter that it ended like this, she was glad that Laura came into her life and showed her who that she wasn’t the beast everyone made her out to be.

            “My sun… Laura,” Carmilla smiled and barely breathed out. “I’m glad… I’m glad I got to see you one last time…”

            She stared at Laura’s beautiful face and it was the last thing she saw before the darkness took over her eyes and there nothing left.

            Laura would be the last thing she saw before meeting her end. The girl who showed her everything- showed her how much better life could be, how much better she could be. Her shining light in the middle of the darkness, something she thought she could never find.

            Laura… Dear sweet Laura… Her sun…

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            The last of the townspeople had exited the castle grounds and LaFontaine felt extremely proud and victorious. They had all driven out the intruders and kept the castle from harm… Mostly… They couldn’t have helped the natural decay that was coming from the curse.

            The rumbling and shaking were smaller than it originally had been, but it had not disappeared. The castle was crumbling around them and there was nothing they could do about it.

            LaFontaine could have sworn they had seen Laura in the midst of chaos, but they weren’t sure if they were just seeing things or if she was actually here. If Laura was actually here, there was still a sliver of hope left for all of them. Laura would only return for one of two reasons: one, to kill and stop Carmilla or two, to stop the townspeople from hurting Carmilla. They hoped and had a very strong feeling that it was the latter.

            Over the last few days, LaFontaine had noticed a lot of things between Carmilla and Laura. There was no doubt that they both had feelings for each other. It was only a matter of how deep those feelings ran.

            The doors to the castle were destroyed, the cold air blowing in. They were all together in the foyer of the castle, celebrating their victory.

            LaFontaine turned towards Perry. The love of their life. They would hardly admit to her, but they couldn’t imagine their life without her. All they wanted to do right now was to embrace her and give her a loving kiss. So they did.

            “We did it,” LaFontaine sighed into Perry’s shoulder. “Victory is ours.”

            They were surprised when Perry did not answer. She would normally quip back at LaFontaine and say something about them embracing her. She was completely silent.

            “Perry?” LaFontaine asked.

            They pulled away from Perry and saw the she was completely unmoving. The curse was taking it’s hold forever. Perry was no longer there, all that was left was an antique feather duster.

            “Oh no,” LaFontaine sighed. “Perry…”

            Will made his way over next to LaFontaine and gave them a sympathetic look. Soon enough all of them would become antiques. The last rose petal had fallen. Will helped LaF lower Perry to the ground.

            Opposite of them, LaFontaine looked over and Elise and Peter. They were standing next to each other.

            “You were so brave Peter,” Elise spoke to him. “So very, very brave… I hope… to see you again… soon…”

            Elise spoke her last words and then froze.

            “Elise,” Peter exasperated and lovingly kicked her leg. “Don’t leave me…”

            Peter’s keys moved in fear, sending out beautiful notes throughout the castle until they slowly died out. The castle was then silent once again.

            Mrs. Potts came running towards LaFontaine and Will from around the corner.

            “Theo, THEO,” Mrs. Potts called out. “Have you seen Theo? He ran off—Oh, where is my dear little boy-“

            Her voice stopped atop the teacart, where her face once was, there was now nothing but a flat, teapot surface. LaFontaine was horrified at the events happening in front of them. They knew that this is what the end of the curse wrought but they didn’t actually believe that it would happen. It was all happening right in front of them now.

            They were terrified of it all ending like this, but there was some part of them that was usually calm about the whole situation.

            “Mama!”

            LaFontaine turned to see Theo coming down towards them. They didn’t want the poor child to see his mother like this. It would break his little heart. They didn’t know what to do. He was already on his way towards his mother.

            Theo leapt into the air towards the tea cart and just as he reached the highest point, his humanly features on his teacup started to fade. Gravity started to take over and the teacup and saucer started to fall towards the ground. The saucer hit and shattered into a million pieces.

            LaFontaine could only watched as Theo fell from the air. There was nothing they could to do catch him. Luckily, before LaFontaine turned away to shield their eyes from the horror, Kirsch reached over and snatched Theo out of the air. He placed Theo, no longer Theo, on the teacart next to the teapot that was no longer Mrs. Potts.

            “Glad I got him,” Kirsch smiled then his features started fading. “See ya later bros…”

            Then Kirsch stiffened straight up, his human features no gone. Nothing left but a coat rack, an antique, an inanimate object.

            Will and LaFontaine were the only ones left. Everyone else was gone. LaFontaine knew what was going to happen, and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it. It was all too late.

            “LaF,” Will said while his gears started ticking haphazardly. “I… can’t…. speak…”

            Will’s ticks and tocks were getting louder and louder, happening more and more frequently. Will would soon be gone too and LaFontaine didn’t know what to say to comfort the poor prince. They could only imagine that he had never pictured his future as a prince like this.

            “It’s all right, Will,” LaFontaine said, it was the only thing they could think to say.

            “I… can’t..,” Will barely spoke. “LaFontaine… my friend… thank you… for everything… I wish it could end… differently…”

            The features on Will had disappeared and the only sound coming from him was the ticking and tocking from the clock. LaFontaine was now alone- surrounded by nothing but antiques and inanimate objects. They were the last one left. It was terrifying, being alone and knowing what was coming.

            “Your welcome,” LaFontaine spoke to the clock.

            They knew Will wasn’t there anymore, but it was a comfort to them to act like he still was. It made them feel less alone.

            LaFontaine could feel themselves fading into nothingness. Slowly around them, things started to fade into darkness. Soon, there was nothing but darkness…

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            “I AM NOT A BEAST,” the beast spat into Danny’s face.

            Danny couldn’t do anything, she was hanging over the landing to her death. No matter how she felt about the beast in front of her, she didn’t want to die.

            Then she felt air around her, but instead of continuing to fall like she expected, she felt her body smack against cold stone. The beast had not dropped her, the beast had tossed her aside back onto the landing.

            “Go,” the beast roared at her and started stalking towards her. “Get out and never come back!”

            Danny scrambled to backwards the beast advanced. She turned and the only thing she could think to do was run at this point. She had no weapon and even though the beast was small, it was incredibly strong and fast. There was the fact that she had managed to injury the beast. If she could injury it, then she could kill it.

            She hadn’t come to the castle with the intention to kill the beast, but looking at it with it’s monstrous eyes, teeth and claws… She couldn’t let it roam around Silas, even if it was locked up. It would probably find a way to get out and terrorize the town. There was no way that Danny would let that happen.

            The beast chased Danny all the way down the cupola and back to the stone footbridge that they had fought on earlier. When she turned to check, the beast was no longer on her feet. Around her, the gargoyles were crumbling and right on the ledge was her pistol that Laura had knocked out of her hands. She quickly grabbed it. It was exactly what she needed to finish the beast.

            If she could take of the beast, she would be able to save the town… and save Laura. She couldn’t understand why Laura was so keen on protecting the beast. It was a monster that terrorized her for days. The beast had dug it’s claws so deep into Laura’s head that she had it all wrong. There was no way that Laura could actually care for the thing without being manipulated. Once the beast was gone, Laura could live freely and never had to worry about the beast’s manipulation ever again.

            Danny gripped the pistol tightly as she searched the castle for the beast. She could see Laura on the balcony, she eyes pointed perpendicular to her. There was only one thing that could keep her attention like that. Danny redirected her eyes and saw the beast, rearing to jump towards Laura. This was her chance. She was an incredible shot, she could hit the thing.

            “No,” she heard Laura yell. “It’s too far!”

            It was a very long jump. No normal human could make the jump without falling to their death, but the beast wasn’t human at all. It still shook her that Laura was still trying to protect this thing.

            Danny took aim with her pistol right on the beast. Then it started to run. She kept her aim locked on the monster waiting for the opportune moment. The jump was incredibly long, and the beast was moving fast, she couldn’t shoot it in the air.

            Then it landed, stood up and Danny took her shot. The sound filled her ears but kept her eyes on her target. The beast doubled over, and Danny quickly cocked the gun again. She let out another shot and watched as the beast roared and then fell to the ground.

            She only had a moment to admire her aim and success before the walkway underneath her started crumbling. Beneath her feet, the stone was disappearing. She had to move before she fell to her death. As she ran to the edge, the walkway fell beneath her. She leapt and felt cold stone on her hand. The pistol was still in her other hand and her grip wasn’t as tight as she hoped on the broken ledge.

            It was either keep the pistol and fall to her death, or let it go and save herself. It was an easy choice. The pistol dropped from her hand and she watched it fall, a very, very far fall. Her hand came up and grabbed the stone ledge. With all of her strength, she pulled herself up, getting her arms on the ledge and then her chest. She swung her body over and she rolled away from the edge of the ledge.

            Danny let out a deep breath. She had come too close to death too many times today. This was it. She couldn’t continue to do this anymore, but Laura… She had to go find her. There was no way that the beast survived those two shots. She had done what she came here to do.

            It was all over now. The last thing to do was to find Laura and bring her home.

            Danny couldn’t move though, she was frozen to the spot. She wanted to move, but her body and mind needed a minute to recover. It had been so much in one day.

            Beasts were a thing of fiction, but Danny had seen one right before her eyes. The moving objects too… Sherman hadn’t been lying. Though the beast was taken care of, Danny’s guilt had not subsided. She still felt this dark pit at the bottom of her stomach.

            If she had done the right thing and protected the town and Laura… Why was she still feeling like this? She had done everything that she was supposed to do. Supposed to… It was the right thing to do… Take care of the beast, save the town…

            Danny closed her eyes for a moment and tried to relax for a moment. She was successful, but she couldn’t relax. Her job was finished, and she couldn’t relax.

            Something the back of her mind kept telling her that it wasn’t over. Something was telling her that she hadn’t done the right thing. Maybe she had been wrong about everything, but she couldn’t have been. Even Laura said that people don’t change that much. A beast was still a beast no matter what… Right?

Chapter Text

            “No, no, no,” Laura pleaded as she watched the light from Carmilla’s eyes start to fade. “Please… No.”

            Carmilla’s grip on her own, dropped. She was gone, gone from her. Laura had come back to protect her, to save her and she had failed. At first, she didn’t think that she had to protect her, she was Carmilla and she couldn’t die, but here they were now… Carmilla was gone. Something had changed in Carmilla since they first met, maybe it wasn’t just Carmilla’s mindset. Maybe there was a physical change too. Carmilla had believed herself invincible, but the gun shots in her body proved her to be otherwise. It was like as she became from vulnerable with her emotions, so did her body. After all, her appearance was supposed to reflect who she was.

            Laura had helped her change and that ended up getting her killed. Even though Carmilla said she wouldn’t have changed a thing, Laura couldn’t help but think that she would still be alive if she never left.

            Her father though… She couldn’t have left him in the situation that he was in. If she hadn’t left Carmilla would still be alive and her dad would still be locked up in a hospital. She left and her dad was okay and Carmilla was dead. Her dad was okay, but Laura couldn’t focus on that, not with Carmilla dead in her arms.

            She shouldn’t have revealed Carmilla’s existence so abruptly to Silas. Maybe if she had gone about another way, this would have never happened. If she had done things differently, the townspeople might not have gone all “torches and pitchforks” like they did and maybe Carmilla would still be alive.

            They hadn’t had enough time together. Laura didn’t even get a chance to tell Carmilla how she felt about the woman. It had become so complicated, her feelings for Carmilla. There had been no time to really sort it all out for herself. At first it was because she hadn’t wanted to believe it, then it was because it couldn’t have been real without her freedom. When she had her freedom, she was too focused on saving her dad then it was focused on finding Carmilla and making sure that she was alright. So much for that last part…

            “Please,” Laura pleaded further. “Don’t leave me… Come back…”

            Even though Laura hadn’t had much time to sort out her feelings towards Carmilla, there was no doubt in this moment that all she could think about was how much she had fallen in love with the woman in front of her. After Carmilla let her go, there was a change. Laura had really allowed herself to feel what she truly felt for Carmilla. Feelings of care and love and passion all manifest in her heart, all thoughts of Carmilla.

            Carmilla was… wonderful, loving and felt everything so fully. She would never had admitted it, but Carmilla had very strong feelings. Those tended not to come out in the best manner at times, but Laura had seen over the past few days that she had changed that.

            She was so passionate and loving, fierce and fiery. There was so much more to her than people saw. Laura saw it. Carmilla had called Laura ‘her sun’, but Carmilla was the one that opened Laura’s eyes to the world. It was so much bigger and there was so much more to it than Laura could ever know. Carmilla wanted to give Laura the world as much as she could. Laura would have loved that.

            Would have… She wished that she could have told Carmilla about her feelings so much sooner. She wished that she could have one last chance to show Carmilla that she was loved, despite her appearance, despite how hard and cold she came off as, someone loved her. There were moments which Laura could tell that Carmilla didn’t feel that anyone could love her because of how she looked and her past. Laura loved every part of her though, including the hard and cold parts, including her past. Everything shaped her to be how she was today. Laura accepted the good and the bad, everything that Carmilla was.

            Never would Laura have thought that she would find someone like Carmilla, much less fall in love. Laura had never thought much about dating and love over the years. She was more focused on getting her degree and traveling the world. Love was something she hadn’t even realized that she was missing out on. It was a greater feeling than she could ever have had traveling the world. She wanted to travel still, but she wanted someone to share it with. She had wanted that to be Carmilla. It was all just a fantasy now. Carmilla was gone. Dead. Before they even got a real shot at any sort of relationship.

            She could only imagine what their adventures would be like. Carmilla had so much knowledge about history and the world. Carmilla probably would have made a joke about having too much time on her hands over the years. Laura would have loved hearing Carmilla talk about the history and maybe, if Laura was lucky, she could get an insight into where Carmilla had gone and visited all those years ago. She could ask Carmilla what it was like back then.

            It was nothing but a wish- a dream that was now gone. Laura couldn’t describe the heartbreak she was feeling right now. It was like a part of her was gone now and it was because that part was with Carmilla. Laura had given Carmilla a piece of her heart without even realizing it. Slowly over the days, Laura had opened her heart up more and more to the other woman. By the time she realized it, it was too late.

            Laura did the only thing she could think of doing. Even though Carmilla was gone, she still wanted to express her feelings for her. She hoped that maybe if Carmilla was watching from somewhere, she could see this and know that she was loved. Laura wanted more than anything to let Carmilla know that despite her past and her appearance, she was loved.

            Leaning over, Laura pressed her lips to Carmilla’s cold forehead. Tears were still streaming down her face. Losing Carmilla was more painful than she could have ever imagined. The only thing that Laura could feel when they first met was anger and fear. Now, she couldn’t even remember that feeling. She could only feel love for the woman.

            “I love you,” Laura whispered with her lips on Carmilla’s forehead.

            Footsteps suddenly filled Laura’s ears and she whipped her head in that direction. Elle, the homeless woman of the town was now standing near the table that the rose sat on. She smiled widely at Laura and Carmilla. Then there was a large flash of light. Something started to separate itself from Elle, a light was coming out of Elle’s body.

            Elle fell backwards, unconscious onto the floor. Where she once stood, there was a tall, glowing woman in front of her. The woman touched the rose case and the glass imploded. The petals from the rose, rose up and started to swirl around the room. Laura couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The gold light from the woman followed the rose petals, encircling Carmilla. Carmilla’s body started rising, the light and petals continued to swirl around her.

            Laura sat there in disbelief. She wasn’t sure what was happening, why Elle was here and who this other woman was. She gathered herself and stood up, glued to the spot unable to take her eyes off of Carmilla.

            The light shined so bright in her eyes and then started to let Carmilla down. The light started dying and the rose petals disappearing. Eventually, when it all stopped, Carmilla was standing in front of her, but she was different.

            The scars, the black veins, the fangs and the claws were all gone. She was so beautiful. Her hair looked softer than before as it cascaded down her shoulders, her luscious brown eyes were shining brighter than ever before, her skin was smooth and no longer as pale as before. There was color in her cheeks and in her lips. Laura could hardly believe her eyes. The woman standing before her looked completely different.

            Her eyes though. Looking into those beautiful brown eyes, Laura knew that it was still Carmilla.

            Carmilla looked down at herself, her eyes scanned her arms, hands and chest. She looked amazed and surprised. Then her eyes scanned upward, meeting Laura’s. Carmilla smiled so widely, her smile just as beautiful as she was, no fangs. Laura matched her smile.

            “Laura…” Carmilla said quietly, unsure.

            Carmilla slowly started stepping towards her and Laura couldn’t wait any longer, she ran up and embraced Carmilla into her arms. She felt warm, strong arms hug her back. Laura leaned back to see Carmilla’s face. She ran one of her hands through Carmilla’s hair and brought the other one up to cup Carmilla’s jawline.

            Her hair was so smooth and soft, Laura just wanted to keep running her hands through it. And her jawline… God, her jawline. It could cut glass. With the scaring gone, her skin was completely smooth and unflawed. Laura kept running her thumb over her cheek to feel that all the scars were really gone. It was like they had never been there in the first place.

            Carmilla’s hand came up to cup Laura’s chin. If she hadn’t done that, Laura could have spent all day running her hands through Carmilla’s hair and along her jawline. They locked eyes and Laura stared into her bright brown eyes, knowing that it was her- in front of her and alive. She’s alive.

            Tears started to stream down her face again, but they weren’t tears of grief. They were tears of joy and happiness, her love was standing before her. She released her grip from Carmilla’s hair and placed it on her chest, she could feel the thumping of her heart. She really was human once again.

            Carmilla placed one of her hands on Laura’s arm and kept the other against Laura’s cheek. Her touch was so soft and gentle, Laura closed her eyes and nuzzled into it. Then Carmilla lifted her chin up once more. Laura opened up her eyes and stared into Carmilla’s. Her eyes flickered down to her lips. They looked so pink and soft, Laura looked back up at Carmilla and started leaning forward. As she closed her eyes again, she felt Carmilla’s lips make contact with hers. It was so much better than she had imagined.

            Her lips were so soft and gentle, but they fiercely moved against Laura’s. It was like the whole world wasn’t there anymore, it was just Carmilla. They moved in sync with each other like they had done this a million times before, but it felt so magical. Laura could only describe it as fireworks. There was no other feeling like this.

            They continued until Laura needed to back off and take a breath.

            She slowly backed out, placing her forehead against Carmilla’s. Both of them were breathing heavily.

            “Wow,” Carmilla whispered. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.”

            Laura smiled and chuckled.

            They looked up at each once more for a moment, before Laura leaned in again wanting nothing more than to feel Carmilla’s warm lips against hers.

            This kiss was just as the same as the first. It was so warm and comforting, but also it made fireworks light up behind her eyes. She was already as close to Carmilla as she could be, but she wanted more.

            Their mouths opened up and she could feel Carmilla’s tongue against her own, it only made Laura pull closer to her.

            Her heart was racing incredibly fast. Her grip on Carmilla’s hair tightened as she pulled herself as close as she could to the other woman. Her chest filled with warmth and fire. Soon their kiss quickened and became more heated. Laura’s hand had found its way from Carmilla’s hair to her lower back, pulling her in.

            Their tongues became more and more incessant, a dance but also a battle for dominance. Carmilla started guiding Laura backwards until her back had hit a wall. Laura’s heart rate continued to rise. Even as a human, Carmilla was incredibly strong, it was so hot.

            The warmth that she had been feeling in her chest was slowly working its way down to her stomach. It was like Laura couldn’t get enough of Carmilla. Laura wanted all of her. She had almost lost her today. She had almost lost her without being able to say what she wanted to say to Carmilla. That was something she didn’t want to happen again.

            There was no feeling like getting the woman you loved back into your arms, knowing how you truly felt about her.

            Feeling bold, Laura smiled and then bit down on Carmilla’s lower lip. She could have sworn a low growl escaped Carmilla’s lips as Carmilla pressed her back even further into the wall. That only made the warmth pooling in her stomach, grow hotter.

            There was a loud cough from somewhere behind Carmilla. Carmilla immediately turned in that direction and let out a small growl. Laura had to laugh at that. Despite not being a beast anymore, there still was that low-grade temper. Although, Laura couldn’t blame Carmilla, she was now frustrated too at their interruption.

            Laura was glad for the interruption now though. Sure, Laura had told Carmilla that she loved her, but she wasn’t even sure if Carmilla had heard it. Laura knew that Carmilla had strong feelings towards her as well, but they weren’t said out loud. Laura wanted to be sure to say it to Carmilla’s face, looking into her chocolate brown eyes. She wanted to say everything that she had been wanting to say since she came back. Also, Laura wasn’t sure how Carmilla would react or how strong her feelings towards her were.

            As much as she loved and wanted to continue kissing Carmilla, and do more than kiss her, she knew that they should probably talk first. Especially now that the curse was broken, they had a lot of talk about.

            The person that had interrupted them was the glowing woman on the balcony.

            After Carmilla realized who it was, she immediately got defensive, placed herself in front of Laura and wrapped a protective arm around her.

            “Mircalla Karnstein,” the glowing woman spoke. “You’ve done well. You have no idea how happy I am that you found yourself. You found love and you found yourself worthy of love. Your father would be very proud.”

            Carmilla just stared at the enchantress. Her face no longer looked angry and scared. Instead, she looked at the woman in disbelief and confusion.

            “It’s Carmilla now,” Carmilla said steadily. “I don’t understand-“

            “It is not for you to understand,” the enchantress interrupted her. “It was for you to learn and become the woman that you always could have been. Your father and your mother… They were great leaders and I knew that you could be too. However, you didn’t believe yourself worthy of being loved. That led to many other issues, but you’ve managed to figure it all out now. Feelings and love are not weakness, but rather strength.

            “You won’t understand, and it is not for me to help you understand but learn. Perhaps one day you will understand. For now, it is time for me to depart. Everything will change now. You’ll be a part of the twenty-first century and live your life out in this time. You will find that you’re… lifestyle will be adapted to the twenty-first century. I wish you luck and don’t forget to remind yourself of the lessons that you learned. I’m sure that Miss Hollis here will be more than enough to remind you of that.”

            The enchantress winked at Laura and then with a flash of blinding light, was gone.

            “Wait!” Laura yelled.

            Laura’s head was full of so many questions, she could only imagine the questions that Carmilla had in her head. The enchantress was gone though. It seemed that all of her questions would go unanswered.

            Carmilla chuckled, turned towards Laura and smiled.

            “Don’t you have questions?” Laura whispered, looking up at Carmilla.

            “I do,” Carmilla smiled at her. “But I think for now, I am okay with those questions going unanswered. I’m going to take what I can get and right now… That’s you.”

            Laura’s eyes widened and smiled.

            “So,” Laura started. “How did you manage to break the curse?”

            Carmilla’s face froze suddenly for a moment and then relaxed. It was probably just a knee jerk reaction to questions about the curse.

            “Cupcake,” Carmilla said as she brushed Laura’s cheek. “You broke the curse.”

            Before Laura could ask how, the castle started rumbling and shaking. Carmilla immediately brought Laura into her and wrapped her arms around her. Another large bright light filled her eyes. She shut them quickly, waiting for the light to disappear.

            It took a few moments, but the rumbling and shaking stopped. The light died and when Laura open her eyes, her breath hitched. Carmilla’s room had changed. Everything was still the same placement wise, but there were so many changes. Instead of a stone floor and walls, the floor was now a nice, dark brown hardwood finish and the walls were now wood, painted the same color as before. The door to her room was no longer an old, medieval looking door. It was now modern day, double doors. It was like the room had completely modernized in a matter of seconds. The balcony had a large sliding glass door in front of it and was no longer stone, but wood with a large metal railing.

            All of the lights in around her had been repaired as well as all of the furniture including the TV. It was just as the enchantress said- it was all being adapted to the twenty first century.

            There was a large commotion outside and both Carmilla and Laura’s head turned towards it. Carmilla grabbed Laura’s hand and then led her out onto the balcony.

            The entire castle had been transformed. The outside remained tall and all the towers had been repaired but instead of the dark stone that it once was, it was now a light grey and white stone mix. All of the outdoor walkways had railing now, and some patio furniture had been added.

            The rose garden still remained the exact same to Laura’s delight. She was incredibly happy that it had not changed. In fact, most of the outdoor area had not changed. Except, the old wooden dock was now updated with polished wood and metal. It had a small staircase that led into the water as well.

            It was incredible. Laura’s mind was completely blown.

            “Would you look at that,” Carmilla chuckled. “It seems that the enchantress has decided that my style era was not good enough for this time.”

            “I don’t think that was the point of that Carm,” Laura laughed.

            “Yet, I still liked my castle as it was,” Carmilla sighed.

            Laura chuckled and swung herself around to put herself in between Carmilla and the railing. She didn’t want to think about the changes of the castle, she didn’t want to think about anything else except Carmilla at the moment. She had almost lost her before they even had a chance and Laura didn’t want to waste it.

            “Now,” Carmilla smiled widely. “This is a view I could get used to.”

            Carmilla leaned in placed a quick kiss on Laura’s lips.

            “Mmmm,” Laura hummed. “As much as would love to stay up here with you all day, I’m sure there are a lot of things we have to sort out. There are also probably a lot of confused people down there.”

            “What if I don’t want to sort it all out right now?” Carmilla smiled.

            “Carm, we-“

            Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura’s hips and hoisted her up. Laura yelped and started giggling. While she was no longer looking like a beast, she was a lot stronger than Laura had anticipated her to be. It was hot.

            “Carm, put me down!” Laura laughed.

            “Okay, sweetheart,” Carmilla laughed.

            Laura felt the soft feeling of mattress and bedsheets beneath her. She was giggling like a maniac. Carmilla’s face was above hers, her long hair cascading down, creating a curtain like atmosphere for their faces. Laura’s face started to feel warm and she could barely focus on anything with Carmilla straddling her.

            Carmilla’s face was light and there was a sparkle in her eye that Laura had never seen before. The scars, the fangs and the veins were gone, and Laura couldn’t deny how beautiful she was. However, it wouldn’t have mattered if they were still there. Carmilla had always been beautiful.

            “You’re gorgeous,” Carmilla whispered. “I can’t believe that it’s you. I never would’ve thought that a girl like you would steal my heart in a million years.”

            “Well,” Laura barely breathed. “It only took a few hundred years, not a million.”

            Carmilla smiled smugly and then ran her hand over Laura’s lips. Laura’s breath hitched and she was completely speechless.

            “I love you, Laura,” Carmilla whispered.

            Before Laura could reply, Carmilla’s lips caught hers and it was just as magical as their first. Everything was Carmilla. Her smell filled Laura’s nose and Carmilla tasted like fresh rain and something sweet.

            Their tongues intertwined and Laura was in complete bliss. Carmilla bit down on Laura’s lip and she let out a involuntary whine. Carmilla chuckled into her lips and then her lips were gone. Laura whined again and then she felt Carmilla’s lips on her neck.

            “God, your whines,” Carmilla breathed in between kisses.

            Carmilla’s lips ran Laura’s neck, hitting a very sensitive spot and Laura let out a small moan. It only encouraged Carmilla further and began to work that spot even more. The heat in her stomach and chest began to become almost unbearable.

            “Carm…”

            Carmilla bit down on her sensitive spot and Laura wrapped her hands around Carmilla’s waist and brought her closer. Laura wanted Carmilla more than anything right now. There wasn’t anything that could take this moment away.

            “Dear sister, where are you? The whole town is in confusion in front of the castle, we need you down th-“

            Laura spoke too soon, as she sat up quickly turning her head towards the door. Carmilla’s head immediately snapped up and a growl left her throat. Laura let out a small laugh. She may no longer look like a beast, but she still have some of the mannerisms.

            “Ahhh….” Will immediately turned on his heel and faced the door. “Sorry to interrupt.”

            Laura could have sworn that there was a small chuckled there.

            “William,” Carmilla said with a low threat. “This had better be important.”

            Carmilla detached herself from Laura and Laura immediately missed the warmth from her body. Carmilla ran her hands through her hair and stood up straight. Laura sat up on the corner of the bed and fixed herself, trying to get rid of the redness she could feel in her face.

            Will took a look a quick look behind him and then must have decided that it was okay to turn around. Laura had never seen him as human, but the voice was undeniable his and the resemblance to Carmilla was uncanny. They could have been twins.

            He was taller than Carmilla, but had the same brown eyes, black hair and mischievous grin on his face. He was handsome, held himself proudly, like royalty which makes sense considering that he was.

            It took Laura a moment to take in that he was no longer a clock. She had been as used to his clock form that Laura had to blink multiple times to ensure that it was really him.

            “Laura,” Will smiled like he had secret. “It’s good to see you. I’d also like to thank you for everything. You saved us and we-“

            Carmilla coughed loudly.

            “Your business here William?” Carmilla asked harshly.

            William left his eyes on Laura for a moment before turning his eyes to Carmilla with a confused look.

            “Come on Carm,” Laura sat up and ran her hand down Carmilla’s arm. “Your brother is no longer a clock now. He’s free. Aren’t you happy about that?”

            The tension Carmilla had been holding was released and she smiled softly. Laura gestured her hand towards Will.

            Carmilla rolled her eyes and then made her way towards Will.

            “It’s good to see you back Will,” Carmilla smiled and then gave her brother a hug.

            Will seemed shocked for a moment before hugging her back.

            “A hug from my sister,” Will said in fake shock. “I didn’t think I’d ever see this day again.”

            Carmilla let go of him and shoved him playfully. Laura approached Will and hugged him as well.

            “It’s good to see you’re not a clock anymore Will,” Laura chuckled.

            “I’m glad that I’m not a clock anymore,” Will smiled at her. “And now you can seem where all the good looks in the family went.”

            “I think I’m going to have to disagree with you on that one,” Laura replied.

            Laura felt Carmilla wrap her arm around her waist, pulled her in close and then gave her a small kiss on the cheek. She could feel her face get red again.

            Will cleared his throat.

            “Anyway,” he continued. “While it is good to be back, we need you sister. There are a lot of confused people down in the courtyard. Some of us understand what’s going on, but unsure what to do about it. You were the last person in charge and well… sorry to say, but the cause of all of this.”

            Carmilla sighed.

            “I guess I’d better go down there and face the music.”

            “It’s not all your fault,” Laura tried to comfort her.

            She wasn’t sure how to really comfort her in this moment. This was a very unique situation and she couldn’t imagine how Carmilla was feeling right now. Laura just wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going to put this all on her shoulders and feel too guilty about it. That wouldn’t be good for her. She had just gotten out of a bad situation and that was reason enough to celebrate, but Laura knew Carmilla and how she felt about the curse. Carmilla would feel like it was all on her, leading to anger. Laura didn’t want that, especially when she just got this chance to really be her without the appearance of a beast.

            Carmilla didn’t reply to her, but she could see that she wasn’t convincing enough.

            Laura grabbed Carmilla’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

            “Let’s go celebrate the curse breaking,” Laura kissed her cheek.

            “Sounds like a good plan cupcake,” Carmilla smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

            “You two are going to make me sick,” Will interrupted. “Let’s go before you two get started again, I don’t need to see that.”

            “You’re the one who walked in William,” Carmilla smirked. “That’s your own fault. Next time, you should knock.”

            Will laughed.

            “Let’s just forget that this ever happened.”

            “Works me for,” Carmilla rolled her eyes.

Laura took a step forward, but Carmilla didn’t move. Her eyes were glued to the door. Will opened it and looked back expectantly.

“Just give us a moment Will,” Laura asked. “We’ll be down soon.”

Will nodded and slipped through the door, closing it behind him.

Laura took both of Carmilla’s hands and looked up at her. Whatever was going on in Carmilla’s head had her frozen in place. This side to her that Laura had never seen. She was normally so confident and strong.

“Talk to me,” Laura said softly. “What’s going on?”

Carmilla shook her head.

“It’s nothing cupcake,” Carmilla sighed. “It’s just been a while since I’ve presented myself in front of so many people. I’m trying to remember how to act, but it all just seems wrong now. Those actions got me stuck for centuries and for the first time in a long time, I have no idea what to do.”

“That’s not nothing, Carm,” Laura rubbed her thumbs against the back of Carmilla’s hands. “It’s okay to be nervous. It’s going to be okay and I’ll be right there with you.”

“I’m not nervous,” Carmilla snapped.

Laura raised her eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Carmilla mumbled. “I didn’t mean that. I’m not used to this- human interaction, talking to people, caring about their opinions.”

Laura looked at her softly. Carmilla had so many years of practically being alone, it made sense that she would worry about that.

“You don’t have to do that with me,” Laura spoke. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”

“I know,” Carmilla sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“I forgive you,” Laura smiled at her. “It’s normal to feel what you’re feeling right now. I’m sure that it will go better than all the scenarios that you’re thinking about right now.”
Carmilla shook her head.

“I don’t know how to do this.”

Laura moved one of her hands to cup Carmilla’s cheek. Laura still had so much to learn about Carmilla. She was more than anyone saw and she was more than she saw in herself. Laura wanted to show that to her, but she didn’t know how just yet. Laura just knew that she was going to be there for her.

“We can do it together,” Laura leaned in and kissed her softly.

When Laura leaned back, Carmilla’s eyes were still closed.

“Okay cupcake,” Carmilla breathed and opened her eyes. “Let’s do this.”