Pru shuddered. “Don’t call me that.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to be proper.” Phillipa hesitated. “The Master has asked for me to collect you.”
“Why? Where is he?”
“Downstairs. I shall wait for you.”
Pru stood up. She looked down at herself. At her arms. Her feet.
Her stomach.
The dress.
Unharmed.
“I’m okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”
She followed Phillipa out the door and across the landing towards the staircase. They went down it together.
Phillipa led her to the living room with the fireplace with blue and pink flames. It was still lit.
Bastian was nowhere in sight.
“Where is he?” Pru asked.
Phillipa turned to her. “He was here before. I shall … I shall look for him…”
She exited the room.
Pru walked slowly towards the fire. The heat brought forth her tears.
Where are you…?
Where are you, Michael…?
The door opened. He had returned.
“I am most displeased with you,” Bastian said entering. “But I have decided that I will not dishonor myself, or our marriage, by artificially manipulating you. I see now that was the wrong thing to do. You’re not like the others. With you there shall be rules.”
“Forgive me,” Prudence said. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“It matters not,” Bastian replied, walking over. “I only wish to inform you that I shall be good to my word and not keep you here against your will. I shall not force you to be my wife, even though that is what you are and that is something you will never escape. So go then. Go to your broken world, and find yourself within it. If you wish to return to me then that shall be your choosing.”
Bastian moved his hand towards the flames, and they began levitating out of the fireplace and into the air. Prudence stepped back to see that they had come together to form the borders of a large rectangular door. She could see her bedroom lay within it.
Pru turned to Bastian. “Will your eyes be following me then? Spying on what I do?”
“If I’m not watching you, how shall I provide for your safety?”
“Don’t watch me. Don’t watch me at all.”
Bastian’s face screwed up, visibly hurt.
He looked down at her feet. “Very well.”
Pru turned back to the doorway. She took a deep breath.
“Goodbye,” she said.
And with that she left Bastian behind.
CHAPTER SIX
Prudence stood at the end of the large king-sized bed she’d shared with Michael, not looking back to see if Bastian’s world was still open. The lights were off but the curtains were parted, and the moon’s reflection painted the room in a surreal twist of blue light. Pru’s hand reached out and touched the bed’s frame, unsure what to do next. She glanced around at the dresser mirror and saw the red dress Bastian had given her had vanished, replaced by the wedding dress she was supposed to marry Michael in. She gritted her teeth and looked away painfully. Then she ripped it from her body as hard and fast as she could.
Pru collapsed towards the side of the bed, sliding down it and eventually reaching the floor. Her eyes welled with tears but she hated them – she hated her ability to cry. She was the wrongdoer here. It was all her fault. She hadn’t just betrayed the love of her life, but also the living being inside her, who would grow up not knowing his or her father.
What would Prudence say when the time came that the child could understand? When they wanted to know what had happened on this day? When they wanted to know what she’d been thinking and feeling right now?
These tears weren’t a defense.
They were a disgrace.
She did not deserve them.
Pru’s attention was suddenly shifted elsewhere, as the sound of vehicles approaching the house were apparent. She got up to her feet and pushed open the bedroom door, only to see the porch light was on and people were piling up to the front door.
She quickly pulled herself back and closed the door a fraction, hiding behind it.
“I’m telling you for the last time,” a female’s voice rang out as the front door opened, “she’s not here. I doubt she’ll be coming back to this place for some time.”
“We don’t know where she is,” a male replied. “There’s no way of telling –”
“I swear to God if that bitch does show up here,” the female said, “I’m gonna knife her to death something shocking.”
It was Millie.
Millie and her friends.
“So how much of this stuff do you want out of here?” another male asked.
“The TV’s his, the stereo’s his, the – you know what everything technical is bound to be Michael’s. I want all his personal effects as well – paper, certificates, clothes – all that shit’s probably in the bedroom –”
“Which way is that?” a female asked.
“It’s over there,” Millie said. “I’ll help you. You guys – lounge room, pronto.”
“No probs, Millie.”
Heart racing, Prudence slipped away from the door, and dived towards the floor. She crawled round and pulled her feet into her chest, hiding behind the dresser.
The door opened.
The light switched on.
“Look at this?” Millie’s friend said approaching the bed.
Prudence couldn’t see what it was.
“Oh shit,” Millie said. “Look … look what she did to him.”
“You think he did this in anger?”
“He must have,” Millie agreed. “I just wish she’d been in it at the time.”
“Lovely thought,” the friend sniggered.
“Alright, let’s see if we can find a suitcase or something –”
“Eeek!”
Sweat rolled down Pru’s cheek.
“What is it?”
“There’s someone there! Behind the dresser!”
“Who is that?” Millie demanded storming over.
Barely clothed, body shaking, Pru rose up slowly against the wall.
The pair stared at her blankly.
“Don’t be mad,” she pleaded. “I didn’t mean to –”
Millie didn’t reply. She punched her in the face.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Pru wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but she wasn’t expecting that. Millie’s punch was hard, like how she imagined a guy would punch. Like she’d punched people before.
It mostly caught her upper left cheek, the knuckles dipping into her eye. Pru’s head bounced back and bashed into wall for double the damage, and the rest of her dropped back to the floor. She struggled to crawl forward a few inches, whereby Millie kicked her in the stomach a couple of time.
“Nooo!” Pru shrieked. “My baby!”
“Oh, so you care about it now!” Millie screamed.
Prudence tried to crawl away some more but Millie’s nails were scratching along the side of her bare back, taking what was left of her undergarments.
“GET OUT!” Millie roared. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS HOUSE!”
Pru didn’t look back. She crawled along through the doorway and down the hall. A couple of Michael’s friends stepped out of the lounge to gaze upon her.
“What the fuck?” one of them chuckled.
Pru looked up at them sideways. “Please help me.”
“Uh…”
Millie moved quickly round to intercept. “You heard her right? Fucking help her. I’ll get the door.”
Before Pru realized what was happening, one was grabbing hold of her legs, the other her underarms.
“Nooo,” Pru moaned. “Don’t –”
Millie pushed the front door open and they lifted her through, stepping across the veranda.
“On the count of three,” Millie commanded. “One … two …”
Pru closed her eyes.
&nb
sp; “Three!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Christine’s eyes scanned through the waiting room’s interior. There were several places Raymond could emerge from, so she was being careful, vigilant, prepared for any exit. She missed his company. Perhaps even more than she hated being alone. Without her focus on him, her mind would just go back to the horrors of that night and evening, and realization that it was still ongoing. At least Elliot had found someone to look for her – but what of the meantime. What was that Bastian doing to poor Prudence? How much suffering would she be forced to endure?
The worst of it was knowing that Prudence probably blamed herself. Pain was one thing, when it was inflicted on you by another. But to inflict it upon oneself? Christine couldn’t imagine it. She only hoped that when the time came that they did find Prudence, that it wasn’t too late.
“Hey, I’m ready,” Raymond said appearing to the side of her.
Christine gave a short jolt of surprise. “Shit. Sorry. I was looking for you, but I didn’t –”
“Do you need a hand up?” Raymond asked, offering his good arm.
“That’s okay,” Christine said dryly. “I’ll manage.”
They walked together out the front of the hospital’s entrance.
“So Elliot came by,” Christine said. “With his friend.”
“Friend? He’s the gay one isn’t he?”
“Yes, Elliot is definitely gay,” Christine said slowly. “I don’t know if he was involved with the guy who came by or not. He didn’t seem gay. Not that, there is a way that one should seem –”
“So what did they want?”
“The friend has contacts. He’s gonna try and find a way to reach Bastian.”
“Well, that’s something.”
“Yes, I suppose it is.”
They stopped by their rented car. Christine leaned against it.
“What now?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Raymond said looking behind them. “Is there anything else we can do?”
“You know what I feel like doing?”
“What?”
“Going back to that maze. Seeing if there’s a way we can cross over through it. Into his world.”
Raymond blinked a few times.
“What?” Christine demanded.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just … is that really a good idea?”
“I said that’s what I feel like doing. I didn’t say we’d do it.”
“Okay.”
Christine turned away from him and touched her forehead. The stress was piling onto her.
She heard Raymond sigh.
“Look,” he said. “If that’s what you want to do. Then…”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just … tired.”
“Do you want to look for a motel then?”
“I don’t know.”
“Alright.”
Christine turned back to him, at the same time a car was driving past them up to the entrance. Something in the backseat caught her eye. She started walking towards it.
“Christine?” Raymond called after her.
“Just a minute.”
“What are you –”
Maybe she was tired. Maybe she was really, really tired. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her.
But maybe not.
Two figures emerged from the car, one the driver’s side, the other from the backseat. As Christine drew nearer she saw the driver was an old lady she didn’t recognize. The other person was draped in a large blanket, wrapped around herself. She couldn’t see much. But that flowing blonde hair –
“Pru! Pru, is that you?”
Prudence turned. “Oh my God. Christine!”
CHAPTER NINE
Luck had favored Prudence in this instance, as she had been able to successfully wave down a motorist who took pity on her plight, and now she had arrived at the hospital in time for Christine to rush to her aid. They went inside with Raymond slowly trailing behind, and once seated they were able to discuss everything that had happened.
It wasn’t easy, for either of them. Prudence had seemingly resurfaced from the depths of her infatuation with the paranormal entity, Bastian, only to be faced with the harsh truth that she had destroyed most of the good future she’d planned for herself. It was so easy between them to clarify how Bastian had enchanted her, forcing visions of himself and their meeting into her dreams – so much so the images still clung on while she was awake. What lay inside the heart of the vampire was truly nothing more than a cold and empty shell, and it was only a matter of time before his quest to capture and control Pru would resume.
The nurses on call brought her fresh water and some food, so that she was able to calm down and get a hold of herself. They all agreed Pru should spend the night in hospital so that she could properly recover and begin the new day with a clean slate.
It was just after midnight and well past visiting hours that Pru was finally tucked into bed and the lights were turned out, the door closed. Christine and Raymond back out through their entrance, tired as ever, but glad that Prudence was finally safe at last.
“I’ll just phone Elliot,” Christine said before starting the car.
“What for?”
“His friend is supposed to be looking for Pru and he should know that she’s safe.”
“Alright.” Raymond closed his eyes and adjusted his chair so he could lean back on it.
Christine put the phone to her ear. “Elliot?”
“Christine? What’s up?”
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Oh, I just got back home. Reese is still out there, working on finding Prudence. I’m not sure he ever sleeps.”
“You can tell him to stop doing that,” Christine said.
“Okay. Why?”
“We’ve found Prudence. She came back to us.”
“She did? You mean he let her go?”
“For now anyway. We should … talk tomorrow or something. When Prudence is up to it. Maybe Reese can help us out then.”
“Okay. Yeah, sure. Is Pru staying with you?”
“No, she’s at the hospital. Maybe you could come down mid-morning. Say ten o’clock.”
“No problem. Thanks for the call, Chrissy. It’s a load off my mind.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Okay … bye …”
“Bye.”
Christine put the phone away. She looked over to Raymond.
“We have done the right thing, haven’t we?” she asked. “Letting her stay here?”
He opened one eye. “You afraid he’ll come back for her?”
“I’d just hate to come here in the morning and not be able to find her.”
He opened the other eye. “The place is locked down. Guards are on site. Nothing’s going to happen. Besides, you know he let her go. Why would he come back for her now?”
“I don’t know,” Christine whispered.
CHAPTER TEN
The ceiling. The ceiling, flat, black and hard. The ceiling stared back at her. In it the contents of her mind spilled out, creating fantastic images and sounds, all in the backdrop of bright lights and a pallet of colors. Sleep. Sleep was to be her escape. If only, she didn’t dream of either of them. If only she could dream she was someone else, and this day had never happened.
Prudence rolled onto her side. She wasn’t thinking straight. She wasn’t being grateful. The fact she’d made it here, that Christine was coming back for her, there was still some hope that things would get better. With enough patience. With enough time.
I hope you’re not watching me now.
I hope you can’t hear my thoughts.
She winced. Turned over to the other side. Exhaled.
There really was no way of knowing. All she had was his word.
But where was he now? Seriously.
Was he just up in the bedroom of his palace? Sleeping soundly? Or was he still up and about? Standing by that fire perhaps? Plotting his next move against her.
“Leave me alone,” Pru whispered. “Please. Just let me be. Just let me…”
But she wasn’t going to sleep any time soon. It was unbearable. What she had done. What she had seen. Christine might forgive her, but Pru could never forgive herself. There was no way to undo what she’d done.
Pru removed her pillow and put it over her face. So she couldn’t see the ceiling. So she couldn’t see anything. And yet … she couldn’t escape what lay beyond the mind’s eye…
A sound.
The door handle. Someone was entering.
Pru put the pillow aside and sat up just in time as the nurse peered in.
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” the nurse said. “Go back to sleep.”
“Okay,” Pru whispered.
The nurse closed the door again.
Pru looked down at herself, her heart racing.
Who did she think that was? Bastian? Really…
Pru pulled back the covers and got out of bed. She walked across the darkened floor and found the door to the bathroom. She entered it and turned on the light.
She went to the toilet briefly, and then stood by the basin, washing her hands. She still didn’t know how she felt about the person reflected to her. It wasn’t someone she identified with. It wasn’t someone she knew. The image was of someone else, someone better, someone capable of things that would bring joy and harmony to the lives of others.
A fairytale.
A fucking stupid little lie.
She knew the truth. And if it were not for the child she’d end it. Because that was what she deserved.
“Stop it!” Pru shouted pounding her fists on the sink. “Get out of my head!”
She staggered out of the bathroom approaching the bed with an air of misery she couldn’t comprehend. At least now, she was at the point of exhaustion. She’d allow herself to become so stressed she’d pass out. And then she would sleep.
As she crawled back onto the bed, she heard the door behind her open again.
She gave half a turn, waiting for the nurse to say something – to tell her off for making noise or –
Vampire's Labyrinth (Vampire's Valentine Book Three) Page 2