A Beauty Among Beasts

by Melanie Gabrell

  “By that I mean, you have similar interests—for example, she loved books as well. You are optimistic like she was. You are welcoming like she was—”

  “What does that mean?”

  “There’s just something about you that’s warm and inviting. An instant familiarity, I suppose. It’s a rare quality. You are also fragile; I feel like I need to protect you, as I failed her.”

  “Oh.” She blushed, feeling silly for thinking he thought of her as a sister. I’m being ridiculous, it doesn’t really matter anyway. “Well, I have two sisters and two brothers, and you are nothing like any of them. Actually, you are quite different from anyone I’ve met.”

  “Brothers?” Leon raised an eyebrow. “I knew about the sisters. As you may recall, they were here not too long ago. Where are your brothers?”

  “At war.”

  “What do they do?”

  “They are out in the field as a part of the medical units on the eastern front, not participating in the relocation of people to the camps that, you know, sects of the police seem to associate with.” She immediately regretted what she’d said.

  Though he didn’t have any Nazi paraphernalia in his home, or seem to sympathize, she always immediately went on guard when discussing such subjects. It was dangerous to speak poorly about the Nazi Party, you never knew who you were talking to, but it was hard not to mention the camps when the topics of soldiers came up. The camps were frightening because no one quite understood them. There were rumors, some too good to be true and others too horrible to believe.

  When he saw her apprehension Leon smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ve noticed I am no Nazi.” He raised his hand from hers and gestured around the room at the lack of modern images, or even decor. She smiled, though her hand missed the warmth of his.

  “I have friends who have gone missing,” she began, and almost mentioned the threat to her own family, because of Effie, but she decided for the moment it was best to keep quiet. Just because he said he wasn’t a Nazi, didn’t mean it was safe to tell him.

  “Es tut mir leid.”

  “No need to be sorry. We all have to live in this mess.”

  “I know... What started as reluctance to such a radical party turned to adamant support, and finally to fear.”

  “You speak like you experienced it,” she said, raising an eyebrow. He was only about her age, maybe a little older. Regardless, she was pleased to determine that he was not a sympathizer. Maybe, she thought, she would tell him about Effie another day.

  Leon smiled. “I heard a lot from my father.”

  “All right, well you can’t blame me for asking. It’s become impossible to decide who to believe these days.”

  “I don’t blame you. Our leaders are not saviors, merely tricksters with their own agendas. Makes this castle seem even more inviting, huh?”

  He had a point.

  “It does. As lonely as it gets sometimes, it’s nice to get away from the world.”

  “Do you feel lonely?”

  “Sometimes.” She shrugged as she finished off her plate and threw a scrap to Luna, who ate it up eagerly.

  “I’ll try to be around more often then.” He smiled. “I asked you once before if you thought you could be happy here … what do you think now?”

  “Perhaps,” she said with a shy grin, still a little unsure.

  After another delicious meal, Anna was stuffed. The kitchen always seemed to know what she was in the mood for and each time was better than the last. She couldn’t help but wonder, though, if this time her enjoyment went beyond the food and had something to do with the company.

  “Are you ready?” Leon stood from his chair and offered his hand once again. She couldn’t help but notice the difference since the first time they sat at the table together. The first time, he scoffed down his food in an attempt to get it over with, as if he regretted his decision. This time, he had dragged out the meal much longer. In reflection it seemed, their nightly dinners had gone from casual companionship to almost date-like.

  Not that Leon had ever asked her on a “date,” but there was increasing intimacy in their conversations and he was noticeably more affectionate towards her. Or am I imagining it? Regardless, she couldn’t ignore that fact that each time she saw him, she could feel her heart ready to burst out of her chest.

  He offered to walk her back to her room after dinner and as they quietly made their way through the halls, she remained acutely aware of his presence. He was standing closer to her than usual and the proximity was overwhelming. She stood slightly behind him, where she could see his broad shoulders and the shape of him beneath his thin black shirt. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hand extended behind him, so that she could see his blue veins showing through ever so slightly. Her eyes trailed down a vein to his hand, which intertwined with her own, sending a warmth from her fingers right up through her arm.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when they approached her door and he turned to face her, suddenly closer than before. He was still holding her hand. He leaned his shoulder into the wall, and she found herself following along, always maintaining the close range. His face was only a few inches away.

  He leaned just the smallest bit forward and kissed her softly. Her lips tingled, and it spread down to her toes. He pulled away for a moment before leaning in once more; this time a little more confidently. He hadn’t struck her as a gentle man in the beginning, but he turned out to be exactly that—from his compassion to the tenderness of his embrace. Slowly, she dragged her hands along his arms and draped them around his neck. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, so she could feel his warmth against her.

  Anna wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that; it may have been barely a moment, but it was also an eternity.

  She finally pulled back.

  She studied his face. He was young like her, but something there, beneath the smooth texture of his skin, were old scars that matched that of his hands, and shadows that hid in his eyes. She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were lit and alive in their honey-brown pool.

  She was mesmerized and wanted to remember it—the feelings, the closeness. Though, she was afraid she wouldn’t remember because the castle would make her forget when she left.

  “Goodnight, Leon.” She smiled and went into the room, closing the door gently behind her.

  Chapter 22

  Gwen

  The tea-length purple dress and black sweater were perfect for the date. It hugged her in all the right places and had a flattering neckline which exposed a modest fraction of her chest. It was complimented nicely by the pendant at the hollow of her neck—the one that had belonged to her mother—and Gwen admired it in the mirror. She was feeling confident. Her hair held the curls she tried desperately to style and the dress brought out her green eyes.

  She felt giddy. It had been such a long time since she had been on a date. Hell, she thought, it had been such a long time since she was able to go out and enjoy herself at all.

  She thought about Anna and wished she was there with her, to tell her she looked great and beg for details when she returned. Her sister’s ghost lingered around the house, and even more so in Gwen’s head. Things had changed since the old days. She couldn’t help but wonder how Anna was doing.

  The biggest difference since Anna’s departure was Gwen’s acceptance, and endearment towards Henry. He was a part of it, the Reich, and though she wouldn’t say anything, Gwen hated it. Time had been cruel, taking her family’s prosperity; although the Reich had made the initial prosperity possible, they had also taken it away. And for that, she resented the government and Hitler himself. Sure, he had brought Germany back to a good state, but she was one of the first to realize it wasn’t going to last. Everyone was living an unrealistic dream, some snapping out of it sooner than others.

  Henry’s status as an officer represented the institution she had come to resent. It was why she’d originally turned him do
wn, disgusted by the prospect. But as she came to know Henry, she was surprised to find that there was another person outside of her family who seemed real. There was something about him that was kind and honest. There was no harm in giving him a chance, especially since she had the time. Her father hadn’t needed her to watch the store as much since more of his work was outside of it, and that allowed her the freedom to go into town occasionally.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door signaling that it was time to go. She rushed down the stairs and gathered herself before opening the door with a big smile. Henry greeted her with similar enthusiasm.

  “You look beautiful,” he said.

  In that moment, all connections to the regime were forgotten; they were just two kids going out on a date. Henry held out a bouquet of roses.

  Gwen gushed and accepted him into the home, placing the flowers in a vase on the kitchen table.

  He father walked out from Effie’s room, where he had spent most of the day, and held out his hand to Henry. “Take good care of her, Tolkien.” He raised his eyebrows threateningly.

  “Dad.” Gwen gave him a look.

  “I won’t hold you. Go have fun; I’ll see you later. You look beautiful.” He stuck his hands back in his pockets and smiled.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” she said before grabbing her things and running out the door.

  “Perfect! A window table,” Gwen beamed. She loved to watch the other people moving about in the streets. They settled in their seats, ordered some drinks, and opened the menus placed in front of them.

  “You seem tired,” Henry pointed out.

  “Yeah, well, I have a lot going on at home right now.” She scanned the menu absently. A server came by and dropped two mugs of coffee and some water.

  “Danke,” they responded in tandem.

  “What’s going on?” Henry asked after the waiter took their orders. “I know you have been doing a lot, but is there anything else?”

  “Yeah ... it’s Effie ... she’s sick,” Gwen said with a sigh. “And my father has been too busy with work to try and do anything about it. I am running errands, going to school, taking care of Effie, and helping with the business.”

  “Why don’t you take her to a doctor?” Henry asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Well… can I tell you something?” She glanced around the room. Bringing it up always made her feel paranoid, which was why she never did. She never knew who was listening.

  “Of course.”

  “But you must promise not to tell, okay? It’s serious.”

  Henry nodded. “What is it?”

  Gwen paused. The logical part of her brain told her it was probably a bad idea to openly tell someone who was an officer the truth about her sister. She wasn’t sure if he was as trustworthy as he seemed, but she wanted to believe he was good, and her intuition was usually on point.

  “Never mind. It’s not important.” She shook her head.

  “You can tell me,” Henry said. “But, if you don’t want to I understand.” He reached out his hand to lay it on top of hers. The gesture sent a tingle up her spine. His eyes were open and earnest.

  “Effie isn’t my real sister,” Gwen blurted out as she leaned closer over the table to whisper. “She ... she was stuck in the middle of a bad situation and we took her in.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. She seems to fit into your family well, though. What happened to her family?”

  Gwen looked at their intertwined hands, considering. She glanced back to him. She truly believed he was a good man, just because he wore a uniform didn’t mean he was a bad person.

  “Well, her mother dropped her off on the doorstep one morning when she was too young to remember—her family was fleeing relocation to one of the first camps—her mom thought that something bad was happening here … you know, before it actually started happening. They were Jewish and while they had to go, they couldn’t take their daughter. I don’t know how but Effie’s mom … she just knew that we would take care of her. We renamed her Effie—after my youngest sister. They were both born the same year and we believed we could hide her that way.” When she finished, she realized she was gripping Henry so hard her fingers were red.

  He gave her a small smile and wrapped his hands tighter around hers, making her release the tension. “I get it,” he said. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Thank you. But you see why we can’t bring her anywhere? I just have to take care of her,” Gwen replied.

  “No one really knows, though.”

  “But we know. And we aren’t—I’m not—very good at lying. Besides, it’s no secret her mom left. That’s on public record, and that her daughter is still here.”

  The pair grew quiet as the waiter came back with two plates, which created a trail of steam behind him. “Careful, plates are hot,” he said. “Can I get you anything else right now?”

  Did he hear what I said?

  “Nein, danke,” Henry answered.

  The waiter walked away, leaving them alone once more.

  “This sausage looks delicious! And relax … he didn’t hear anything.”

  “Worrying is one of my charms,” she teased. “Can I ask you a question, Henry?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why did you join the police force?”

  “It’s a family thing—my father was in it, my brother is in it, too. Plus, I wanted to help people.” He shrugged and shoved a mouthful in. “Not everyone is like me, though. Sometimes it's like I can feel a rotten stench coming off them. They can’t think for themselves. Like Walter.”

  Gwen giggled. “Yeah, I agree. He’s bad. I can’t stand when he comes in and spews all his nonsense in school. How are any of us supposed to get away from it, though?”

  “We can’t. Honestly, no options seem too great at this point. Either the Allies win, and we are all screwed, but Nazism is over, or the Nazis win, and we are okay, but Nazism is here to stay.”

  “Yeah, I just … I wish there was something else.”

  “Did you see that?” Henry interrupted suddenly pointing out the window.

  “What?” Gwen saw something in the corner of the window, about thirty feet to the side of the restaurant, in the alley. They glanced at each other quickly before darting out the door.

  Gwen could hear a feeble cry and they rushed towards the sound. There was a young couple lying on the ground, both about fifteen years old, yellow stars standing out in contrast to the fresh blood on their clothes. Only the girl was moving, she was the one they’d heard. She pointed to her companion with tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t get out the words between her sobs, but anyone could see he wasn’t moving.

  Her cries were interrupted by footsteps which came up fast. Before the pair could do anything, someone jumped on Henry. He threw himself around trying to get free but let out a cry of pain as a dagger dug into his side. The man on his back leapt off and Henry threw a punch that didn’t quite make it.

  “Who ... What ... did you do?” Henry managed to say as he was bent over with blood pouring out of his side.

  “I thought you were attacking her …” The voice was familiar.

  “Joe?” Gwen shrieked. It was all too much for her to process.

  “You are lucky it was me, and not someone like Walter Volk who you attacked,” Henry said, then looked to Gwen. “I need a doctor.”

  “I’m sorry but there’s something worse out there … and I’m going to find it. I’ve seen it. It’s what’s causing this and it needs to be stopped.”

  Gwen did not reply. She couldn’t believe the rumors of some kind of vampire attacker. But with what they’d just witnessed it was hard not to. She reasoned that it could have been someone who wanted to frighten the poor Jewish kids and make them think that the rumors were true. But that was a terrible thought, too.

  Gwen brought her attention back to the poor girl whom was still on the ground shaking. She came in closer to see if she recognized the couple. She did. T
hey were just a few years younger than her—they went to the same school. She couldn’t bring herself to get any closer, though. She didn’t want to see if there were marks on them, but the young girl was clearly holding her neck, where blood was pouring out slowly.

  Henry was bent over in pain and Gwen grew more nervous by the second. She knew nothing about blood loss, or at what point he might pass out. She took off her sweater and wrapped it tightly around his body to stop the heavy blood flow. She could only imagine how this all looked—Henry bleeding out, Joe looking stricken with a knife in hand, and Gwen standing there in shock in her fancy dress.

  The night didn’t seem real. Gwen just couldn’t wrap her mind around it all.

  The police arrived, and Gwen took the lead by explaining what had happened without telling them that it was Joe who’d attacked Henry. Henry’s wounds were superficial and easily disinfected and dressed. He was going to be fine—but the young couple would not. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.

  After the two bodies were taken away and all statements had been made, Joe, Gwen and Henry stood alone in the alley.

  “Joe?” Gwen grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. It felt weird to say his name. In truth, she hadn’t acknowledged him at all in years.

  “Yes?” The red aura around him faded momentarily, replaced by something much more calm and sorrowful.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We have more than just Nazis—we have another problem. There are vampires in Essen.”

  “This is no time for jokes, Joe.”

  Henry nudged her. “Why on earth would someone joke about something like that?” He turned to Joe. “You aren’t joking, are you?”

  “No. And I think it’s going after … people like me … ” He pointed to his yellow star. The truth was there in his eyes, as much as Gwen didn’t want to believe it. With everything Joe had gone through, he always stayed hopeful, but that glimmer was fading. He looked broken. The cracks that formed slowly over time had finally grown strong enough to break him.