The Elusive Katherine Pierce

Call me Katherine

• Philadelphia, 1793•

In the year of 1793, Yellow Fever hit Philadelphia in the Mid of July. I, being a sixteen year old girl, had caught the virus too. After helping my dear grandmother, who died a week later of having the fever. My parents and my own twin sister left me once they noticed my symptoms and went out West, where the fever hadn't hit as hard. I was dying, and I knew it. I felt my organs slowly shut down on me. I was living in my own blood and vomit. My stomach was begging for food, food I could no longer take without vomiting it back up.

I had nothing now. I refused to get a doctor, even though I have the money to do so. My family left me enough money for one of the best doctors in town, incase I survived the fever, in which they had doubt about. Though, I could not trust a doctor, they were the devil himself. They bled people almost to death, my poor grandmother included, thinking that was how to get rid of the fever, but no. They were wrong.

It seemed as if the fever followed a ship from the Caribbean, then brought it to the docks of Philadelphia, the capital of the new country. At first, it was only a few people who had the fever, then the number starting adding which slowly turned into deaths. Soon, I will be adding on to that number.

I looked around my empty house, reliving the memories. My birth place, the only place my sister and I knew. My father's home when he arrived here from England with my mother by his side. The day's my mother waited for my father to come home from the war, because he fought for our freedom from England and King George III. The place our mother gave birth to us, a year following our departure from England. I felt a tear go down my cheek, my parents took almost everything from our home, even our family dog. Then people started breaking into the house. I tried to fight them, but they overpowered me. The only thing I had left now was my death bed and the one picture my family didn't take. The last one we had made when my sister and I were fifteen. I can still remember the day, we had to stand for hours, because the artist took his time sketching every detail of us. We all wore our best clothes, the ones our grandmother had brought from London when she moved over to the United States of America once the war was over. It was probably the only day my mother and I didn't fight.

Remembering every memory we made as a family brought a smile to my face, and I closed my eyes and waited for death to take over.

~

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the front door in the middle of the night. I was surprised that someone was at the door, knowing someone had put flyer up on the door telling everyone that the fever was here. Then again, it could be my family to help me heal and they realized their mistake.

I somehow found the strength to pull myself out of my vomit and blood and made my way to the front door. I removed the piece of wood, I had placed there to keep thieves from coming in. Then I pulled on the old wooden door.

Outside of the door stood a beautiful woman whom looked like she was seventeen or eighteen. Her curled brown hair fell across her face, and her olive skin seem to glow in the darkness of night. 

"Ma'am?" I asked and she looked up at me, and I saw blood on her face. Then I knew she had the fever too. "I-i-i can not h-help you. I have the f-fever as well." One would have run in fear if they had just seen my yellow face and yellow eyes. However, unlike me, this women did not have the same effects that I was having. She seemed pretty fine beside the blood coming down her mouth.

"I just need a place to stay for the night." The woman begged. I wanted to help, it was in my blood to help the needed, but my death was only hours away and I welcomed it.

I shook my head, "I am s-sorry Miss, but there is only one bed, my death bed, and there is not much food to give you."

She frown, "Darling, I'm sure you are not dying. I believe you will be just fine."

I shook my head again and my eyes began to water, "My family is gone, Miss. They left me once the fever started to show. The only thing left for me is death." I explained to her.

"Then let me help you. You look like you are in need of a bath." She told me, chuckling.

I slowly broke out a smile, "Very well, please come in."

The woman only smiled and stepped inside my old family home. Once she was inside, I closed the door and began to grab the wood when she stopped me.

"Here let me do that." She offered. I nodded and stepped out of her hair.

"Thank you." I chuckled. "This is very odd, Miss. I should be the one helping you."

She flashed her white smiled, "You are alone, darling. You need someone." The woman placed the wood against the door and turned to me. "Let me go run you a bath, and I will help you get out of these rags." She said, pointing to my clothes.

I let out a soft laugh, "Thank you, Miss."

"Please, call me Katherine." Katherine introduced.

"Then call me Juliana."

~

After telling our introductions, Katherine ran me a bath and washed her face, removing the dried up blood along her lips. I was very surprised that the bath was full of water, especially because she would have to go out to the well in the pitch black. Next, she helped me out of my old bloody dress. During my bath, my once almost black hair was brought back to its natural blonde locks. I was so dirty, the water had turned pitch black like the night. After my bath and finally had clean clothes on after weeks in my others, Katherine and I talked. Of course, on the hard floor of my bedroom.

"So Miss. Katherine," I started, but Katherine glared at me. "I mean, Katherine. Why help me? Especially when you have the fever." I questioned.

She sighed, "I do not know, maybe because I do not want to feel as guilty." Katherine answered.

"Why feel guilty?" I asked.

"Another time, Juliana." She answered, and I nodded, not wanting to intervene with her life. After all, we had just met. "Juliana, that picture I found by your bed. Is that your family?"

I nodded and felt the tears started to blur my vision. "Yes, ma'am. They left a week ago and they took everything, except my bed and enough food to survive a week."

She grabbed my hand, "I am sorry, Juliana. No child should go through it."

I shrugged my shoulders, "It does not bother me very much. What really had me upset is my twin sister, she left with them and didn't even look back."

"Then she is a bitch." My eyes widen at her choice of words. Katherine rolled her eyes at my reaction. "It is not against the law to say it, Juliana."

I looked down at my hands, "I am sorry, but I have never heard a woman say it before."

"Anyhow, how old-" Katherine suddenly stopped and was staring at my face. "Juliana, your bleeding."

I brought my hand to my nose and felt a sticky, warm liquid on my hand. "Oh dear," I whispered and quickly stood up but I lost all of my strength and fell down to the hard floor.

Katherine came rushing over to me, "Juliana! Are you okay?" She asked me.

"Bucket, I need a bucket." I whispered, trying to hold in the vomit.

Katherine was suddenly gone, vanished even, and I gasped. Then she was back in a second holding a bucket. I grabbed the bucket and threw up anything left in my body.

Once I was done vomiting and I moved away from Katherine. The only bucket in this house was kitchen and that was on the other side of the house. With her also having the fever, it would nearly be impossible for her to be that fast, the fever took everything out of you. "H-h-how did y-you do that?" I asked her scared out of my mind.

Katherine frown, "I wish I did not have to tell you this early, Juliana. I thought we could be friends."

I grew very scared and back even further from her. "W-w-what a-are you?"

She sighed and then I saw it. Her eyes turn into a blood red and her long fangs hung over her bottom lip. "I'm a vampire, Juliana."