The Vampire of Thornton

Chapter 3

Casper was grabbed on either side by the strange shadow twins. He looked them up and down and dubbed them some of the creepiest people (if that's what they even were) he'd ever met. Casper hoped there wouldn't be any more shadow people in this mansion. He looked at the vampire who gave him a half-hearted wave in farewell. Damn him, if it weren't for...Whatever his name was, Casper would probably be happily engaged by now. Casper decided that any struggle would be a fruitless effort so he gave up and let himself be dragged by the weird twins. He studied each passageway that they traveled down closely, trying to remember the route if he was able to make a quick escape. But even after only 30 seconds, he gave up. There were just too many twists and turns for him to keep track of.

Mara and Clara came to a stop in front of a large set of double doors that were painted a dark burgundy and had gold trim. The twins stopped and each swung open a door with the hand that wasn't attached to Casper. They propped him upright and allowed him to stand on his own. "This is your room, Sir." They said, "This is all the master has required us to do. You have been assigned a personal butler. His name is Lester; when you are settled, call for him so he may change your clothes and bring you to the master." They bowed in unison and retreated back into their shadow forms on the wall and disappeared beneath the floorboards.

Casper shivered, Creepy, he thought. He turned his mind away from the twins and looked back at his 'new room.' The color scheme in general matched the door to the bed chamber. In the center of the room there was a large four poster bed with red sheets and blankets, finely embroidered with golden thread on the edges. The wallpaper was red as well. Golden lions roared in the trim that went all the way around the room. There were two large bay windows on the left wall. The bottom of each bay was lined with red velvet and a few gold pillows. Dark curtains hung, waiting to be drawn shut by a single gold thread that looked like it would snap if you breathed on it too hard. There was a large fireplace with wood inside of it, ready to be set ablaze, and a large mantel above, various items placed upon it with great precision.

There were a few portraits of individuals and family alike. Casper took his time and walked around, looking carefully at each one. The subjects all looked so serious despite the bright colors they were wearing. Except for the one hanging above the fireplace. The family was made up of four members. A tall middle aged gentleman, a lean young man, a girl around the age of 16, and a little boy who looked just to be 5 years old. The family was dressed entirely in black. From the gloves to the lace on the woman's hat and the large scarf that covered 75% of the little boy's face. In the background the sky was dark and gloomy, easily comparable to the storm raging outside of Casper's own window at that very moment.

It was obvious to anyone that the family in the portrait was in morning for the loss of the missing figure, the mother. Casper was about to inspect the rest of the room when he felt something boring into the back of his head, he turned and saw the blazing blue eyes of the little boy in the painting staring directly at him. His eyes held a great sadness as they started at the Duke to be. Casper moved closer to the painting once more and studied the eyes carefully. There was something familiar in them that he couldn't quite place. Almost like he had seen them before. The boy's unyielding stare made Casper shiver and he turned back to the window.

Wait, the window! Casper's room had one floor between it and the soil of the estate. He could escape this crazy vampire now that he wasn't keeping an eye on him. He could get away from this scary place and go back home to his country and his fiancé. Casper ran over to the window and unlatched it, throwing himself into the storm. The rain slashed at his face and Casper closed his grey eyes as he hit the ground. A sharp pain went through his ankle but he ignored it as he ran towards the creaking iron gate at the entrance of the estate. The wind whipped at his hair and blew it into a tangled mess as Casper was soaked even more so now that he had direct contact with the storm. He was only a few steps away from the gate when he was suddenly thrown backwards. Casper got up from the wet ground and turned to see someone in the shadows. They clicked their tongue disapprovingly. Casper saw the faint outline of the blue coat and black umbrella through the sleet, but he knew the voice instantly.