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Special Note
In the Darkness is a constant work in progress. Everything you read is subject to change as I continue to add more to the story. Also, please note that this means this is not the final peice.
In the Darkness: Chapter 2
Katheryn woke to a knock on the door, as Melinda walked in.
"Good morning, milady," She smiled and walked briskly to the windows.
Katheryn was blinded temporarily as the light from the open curtains spilled into the room. The crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling captured the sunlight and sent rays of light to every corner of the room as it sparkled.
Katheryn sat up and looked at the clock beside her. A white rose sat in a clear, crystal vase on the table. She reached for the rose and the familiar sweet smell filled her senses.
"A gift from Michael," Melinda smiled.
Katheryn looked at Melinda and smiled back. "What's on the itinerary for today?"
"You have lunch today at noon, with Mr. Johnson. I believe it is to talk about buying some of his property next door?" Melinda stated immediately, although she sounded slightly unsure.
"Yes, of course" Katheryn replied simply. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and Melinda walked over to the closet.
She took out a long elegant dress. It was a dark blood red color with a silver bodice that laced up the back, and was decorated with iridescent black beads that shimmered.
Katheryn's long brown hair was pulled back from her face and a black rose pendent was pinned above her left ear. Melinda placed a choker, decorated with roses and matching black beads, around her neck.
Katheryn walked gracefully to the door and Melinda hurried over to open it for her. She found Michael standing just outside the door.
"Good Morning, my queen." He smiled and pulled Katheryn into his arms, kissing her deeply.
Katheryn's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly. Her breath was quick and harsh as she gazed frantically around the room.
She sighed heavily and fell back against the pillows; it was only a dream.
There was a knock on the door that made Katheryn jump, and yet another girl walked in.
This girl had long brown hair, similar to Katheryn's and it was pulled back into a bun in the back of her head. A simple, knee length black dress hugged her figure.
"Hello, milady." She smiled and walked over to the windows. Katheryn shielded her eyes from the incoming light as the girl pulled open the curtains.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Katheryn asked as she regained her vision.
"Oh I'm so sorry, milady." The girl quickly apologized, spinning around to face Katheryn. "My name is Lilly. I work upstairs with Melinda, but I'm at your command if needed."
How many people live here? Katheryn thought. Maybe this house was bigger then it seemed.
"You are free to tour the house today. Tonight you are supposed to eat dinner with milord, Michael." Lily explained with a nod.
Katheryn shuddered. This reminded her too much of her dream.
Lily walked into a small room and Katheryn crawled to the edge of the bed to peer inside. The room was larger then Katheryn thought, but it was filled with only clothes and shoes. They all seemed to be the same color scheme as the rest of the room. White, blues, and light yellows filled the closet. Or from what she could see, anyways.
Lily returned with a white sundress. She gently placed it on the bed next to Katheryn. "Feel free to call me, if you need anything, milady" Lily bowed her head, smiling and left the room. Katheryn blinked at her then looked down at the dress beside her.
Katheryn stood in front of the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly. It hugged her waist and flowed out from her hips. The sleeves hung off the shoulders and flowed around her arms, just as the skirt flowed gracefully around her legs. She combed her hair so it fell over her shoulders and down her back in soft waves.
Katheryn sat next to the bay window and looked out at the courtyard. As she gazed out the window, memories filled her mind.
"Katheryn!" Kristen yelled. "Katheryn, get up!"
Katheryn groaned and pulled her blanket over her head. Katheryn's sister stalked over to the edge of the bed and whipped off the blanket. Katheryn quickly curled up into a ball as the cold air crept over her skin.
"What do you want?" Katheryn snapped. Kristen just glared at her older sister.
"Today is Wednesday. Now, what do we do every Wednesday?" Kristen backed away as Katheryn tried to grab back her blanket. "Mom told me to come up here and wake you up. We need to get into town before noon."
Katheryn rolled her eyes. "Fine! I'm up!"
Kristen threw the blanket at Katheryn and stomped out of the room. Katheryn pulled the material back around her as she heard her mother walk down the hallway.
"Katheryn, if you are not up in 5 minutes then we're leaving you here." Her mom called from somewhere down the hall.
Katheryn pulled the blanket over her head and fell back into unconsciousness.
Katheryn was pulled back to reality as her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since yesterday.
She opened the door and looked out into the hall. It was eerily dark and she fought the urge to spin back around into her sunlit filled room. However, she quietly crept out into the hall. The silence made her feel like a child creeping out of bed at night. She tried to remember the way Chris had led her the day before, but quickly became lost.
As Katheryn walked down the hall, everything seemed to get darker, it that was even possible. As she glanced around, she quickly found out why.
The floor was made of black marble with a thin black carpet running down the middle. It was no where near as comfortable as the one in the main hallway, but it was definitely warmer than the marble. A single candle sat on a dark wooded table at every corner, leaving the middle of the halls pitch black.
Katheryn saw someone enter one of the hallways moments before. Her first instinct was to follow and get help. So, of course, she followed.
As she walked further into the darkness, the more doubt she felt. Something moved to her left but Katheryn was blinded by the darkness and couldn't tell what it was. She flattened herself against the nearest wall and closed her eyes, hoping it would go away and she would miraculously find herself back in her brightly-lit room.
Katheryn's heart beat tripled as she felt a pair of arms land on each side of her, pinning her to the wall.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. Katheryn couldn't think straight enough to distinguish whether or not she happened to know the person.
"I'm sorry... I... I got lost." She stammered quickly.
The hands loosened and Katheryn took a deep breath. The next moment Katheryn found herself in the kitchen with Michael standing beside her. She then realized that she was talking to Michael back in the hall. She faintly recognized his accent in the back of her mind. But how did she get here?
Vanessa made Katheryn a delicious lunch and Katheryn wandered out into the living room when she was finished.
Something didn't seem right about this house, and about Michael. He seemed to young to be able to afford a house this expensive, unless of course he was a son of some rich guy that died. But of course that didn't seem possible, for some reason. Katheryn probed her memory for any useful information but was quickly disappointed when she couldn't find anything. Then she suddenly got an idea and called for Vanessa.
The girl entered the room and Katheryn jumped right in. "Do you have a library?"
Vanessa nodded slowly, looking confused. "Yes I believe we do. But it is rarely used and it may be slightly out of date." She admitted.
"May I see it?"
Vanessa nodded. "Of course, milady." She led Katheryn down the hall to a large room. The room was dark and you could tell it hadn�t had a visitor in years. Dust covered all the surfaces and the curtains were pulled closed.
�I hope you don�t mind, but I must get back to the kitchen.� Vanessa announced, apologetically.
�It�s all right. I�m sure I�ll be fine.� Katheryn replied, already distracted.
�Feel free to call me if you need any help.� Vanessa told her before she disappeared out the door.
Katheryn glanced absently behind her as the door closed. She groped at the wall for a light switch and flipped it on. A dull table lamp lit the room just enough for her to find her way around. She made her way over to the windows and pulled open the curtains. She sneezed as a layer of dust flew off the material and the sun�s rays temporarily blinded her. Once she regained her vision and the sneezing subsided she turned to scan the room.
Everything was covered in dust, but even that didn�t hide the elegance of the room. There were several table lamps scattered throughout the room, each accompanied by a cushioned chair or couch. Shelves among shelves were lined along the walls, each filled to the max with books and novels. Katheryn decided to come back a bit later and clean up a bit. If the room looked like this now, she could only imagine what it would look like once it wasn�t so dusty.
Katheryn began to browse through the many shelves of books, looking for nothing but something at the same time. A half an hour passed before she found what she was looking for. A dusty book sitting on one of the highest shelves. Myths and Legends.
Katheryn took a seat, slightly uncomfortable to the fact that dust rose in the air as she sat. Flipping through the book, she finally found exactly what she was looking for. She quickly skimmed through the section on vampires then went back to read it again, but more slowly.
When she finished, the book slipped through her fingers and hit the floor with a soft thud and she fell back against the cushioned back of her chair. She sat dazed for a moment then shook her head, bringing herself back to reality.
�I should have known. I mean, I used to know everything about��
�Vampires?� Michael finished for her. He leaned against the frame of the door, looking completely at home.
Katheryn stood quickly and spun around to look at him. She tried to speak but the words caught in her throat.
�Are you afraid of me now, Katheryn?� Michael smirked and started to walk towards her. Katheryn slowly started backing away, but Michael�s arm lashed out, quicker than any human eye could follow, and grabbed Katheryn�s wrist. He pulled her towards him and caught her in his arms, holding her tight. She tried to struggle against him, but his strength was too much.
Michael leaned closer and whispered in Katheryn�s ear. �I could never hurt you.� Then he disappeared, and Katheryn stumbled forward.
Somehow, Katheryn made it safely back to her room. She found a delicate white rose lying on her bed with a note attached to it. Stay out of the West Wing
Katheryn thought for a moment, confused as to the meaning. Then she remembered what happened that morning. The west wing must have been the area she stumbled into.
Katheryn stared at the rose. It was perfect in shape, color, and form. It was so brilliantly white that it almost glowed. Katheryn laughed, a full bloomed white rose meant innocence and purity. Innocence was the last thing she expected in this house.
Or is it a house?
Katheryn walked over and curled up on the window seat of the bay window. As her focus drifted, memories flooded her mind.
The small white phone that sat next to Katheryn�s bed rang constantly. Katheryn finally got annoyed and answered the persistent ringing.
�Hello, is this Katheryn?� The man asked.
�Yeah?� Katheryn yawned.
The man talked for a moment, a distant hum in her ear. Then something he said caught her attention and she froze, the phone slipping from her hand and crashing onto the floor.
Katheryn snapped back to reality as a shiver went down her spine. That was the day the police called to tell her about the accident, the picture of the smashed up car would always stand out boldly in her memory. She shook her head and tried to get rid of the image.
�How long has it been?�
Katheryn quickly turned to find Michael lounging in a chair a few feet from her. She slowly started backing away. Michael�s gaze never left her.
�Um, a... a year.� She stuttered.
Michael remained silent and emotionless. It made Katheryn nervous, and she slowly continued to back away. She hit the edge of the bed and stumbled, her hand falling on the rose. She quickly snatched her hand back up as the sharp thorns pricked her. She looked at her finger and saw a small drop of blood. Her eyes quickly snapped up to Michael, whose eyes were already locked on the cut.
Fear ran through her body as he stood up and walked towards her. She saw him hesitated at her fear but move closer still. Katheryn flinched as he brought her finger to his lips and gently licked off the blood. He then shivered and dropped her hand. She took a deep breath but didn�t take her eyes off from him. Michael turned and quickly left the room, without a word.
Katheryn collapsed onto the bed, as she tried to calm her racing heart. Her hand once again fell to the rose. She picked it up and absently ran her fingers over the silk petals as her mind thought frantically for a way to escape. Her gaze fell on the window and she found herself rising and going to it. Looking out into the courtyard, she tried to find a way out but was met with four thick, smooth concrete walls. Her mind was vaguely disappointed as she gazed out the window.
There was so much life and beauty trapped within those concrete walls. As she looked out at the sunlight as it fell to the small pond, she realized how much she wanted to be out there. Lying in the sun, feeling the warmth of it wash over her skin. Thoughts of escaping were pushed to the back of her mind. She would stay for a bit longer.
As she stared out in the courtyard she felt like something was calling out to her. She had to get down there.
Katheryn called Lily into the room and asked if she could show her the way to the courtyard. Lily shook her head sadly.
�I�m sorry, milady, but the sun is almost setting.� She gracefully waved her hand to the window. Katheryn saw that she was right. The sun was still shining but when Katheryn looked at the clock she knew it wouldn�t last long.
�Why can�t I go out?� Katheryn asked, determined to at least know how to get there.
�Once the sun sets, the grounds are not safe. If you must leave your room, I suggest you call someone to escort you.� Lily replied calmly, her hands neatly folded in front of her.
Katheryn sighed, giving up for the moment, �Very well.�
�May I do anything for you, milady?� Lily asked.
�No, you may leave.� Katheryn sat gazing out the window once again. Watching the last bit of sunlight disappear behind the wall. Lily bowed her head and quietly left the room.
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