Awakening

4. Damsel

 "Here's your stuff" Sofia burst into the kitchen with a black garbage bag full of things from Grace's apartment.

"Thank you for getting... this" Grace scrambled to go through the bag, it was mostly clothes, none of her books for school, non of her assignments no computer.

"Yeah." Sofia rolled her eyes. "So what's your status then, are you some kind of damsel? prisoner? refugee?" She sat on a chair and crossed her legs, scanning Grace with a curious expression.

"All three I think, I'm on a need to know basis for pretty much all information and I'm allowed to leave but there's a vampire after me so there's no point in leaving anyway." Grace sighed.

"Not just one vampire, a family, a clan. There has got to be at least ten of them, but it's hard to guess." Sofia said, smiling dryly.

Grace took a deep breath. "Yeah, but they think I'm their queen so they might treat me well?" She asked hopefully.

"You did not just imply you'll join a clan of vampires." Sofia gave an exasperated laugh. "But what's going to happen when they find out you're not a vampire, whether you have her spirit or not, you are not Morgana. So they'll turn you into a vampire." Sofia leaned, a serious expression on her scarred face. "I'm not too clear on the details of how someone becomes a vampire, but I know it's not pleasant." Sofia laughed and shook her head. "This isn't some stupid story, Grace. Vampires murder innocent people all the time and their souls are damned to hell. Is that what you want for your life? For your afterlife?" Sofia shook her head and brushed her elegant fingers against the scars on her jaw. Grace watched her hands, taking in the long scars. Sofia glared at Grace's stare and left the room without another word.

Elle returned shortly after and gave Grace a questioning look from the doorway. "So can I take my stuff to your room... or?" Grace mumbled, she was still a little shaken by Sofia's harsh words.

Elle nodded her head towards the door and left the room. Grace scrambled to follow as the tall girl took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Elle lead her all the way to the attic room where she stayed. There was a sleeping bag in one corner of the room and a couple piles of old books scattered about, it was mostly empty. Elle rummaged through an old trunk and dragged out a musty smelling sleeping bag. She thrust it at Grace and stared into her eyes. Grace coughed and looked away, Elle had a strangely searching stare as she looked into the shorter girls face.

Elle sat crosslegged on her sleeping bag and pointed to the opposite side of the room. Grace set out her sleeping bag and sat to mirror Elle. "Where do I get a pillow?" Grace asked.

Elle shrugged and motioned downstairs. "Sofia thinks I want to join the vampires, but I'm just trying to gauge wether they'll kill me or not. But she said they'd turn me into a vampire, and that's pretty much like dying anyway right?" The words tumbled out of Grace's mouth. She stared down at her fingers. "I really appreciate you bringing me here to keep me safe, but no one is being very understanding. They don't care about wether I'm safe or not..." Grace anxiously looked up to see Elle staring intently, with a thoughtful expression.

Elle rose to her knees and leant over the small attic room to place a large slender hand on Grace's knee. She gave a small smile. Grace smiled in return, but tears were starting to pool in her eyes. "Maybe I should just go?" Grace considered.

Elle's hand became a vice on Grace's knee, making her gasp in pain and shock. Elle's expression had turned dark, and pleading. She shook her head, her dark hair swaying along with the movement. Grace glared and tried to yank Elle's hand from her leg. Elle's expression softened and she released her grip, she held up a finger and went to dig through another trunk.

"Okay, I'll stay but I still have a couple of exams to write." Grace sighed.

Elle shot her a skeptical glance over her shoulder.

"I can't get the exams deferred because 'a vampire is trying to kidnap me'!" Grace exclaimed. "Can I call my friends... my parents? I need to tell them whats going on."

Elle returned and carefully placed a heavy object in Grace's hands before returning to her sleeping bag to sit and stare with an indiscernible expression. Grace looked at the object, a small heavy pistol. She turned it over in her hands. "I can't use this!" She gasped.

Elle slid a box of strange purple bullets across the floor. She made a gun with her fingers and aimed at Grace's head, one eye squeezed shut. Her wrist flicked as she mimed shooting the gun. She leant forward again and stared into Grace's eyes, searching for something. Her gaze became darker and darker as she examined the girl. Grace couldn't look away from the other girl's intense stare. Grace blinked, trying to break the tension rising in her body and when she opened her eyes Elle was gone.