The new house

After a trip of about 2 hours we finally reached what I thought to be our destination as the car slowed down. I looked around me and saw that we were in a quiet residential area with many trees around and few buildings.

I sat straight in my seat while the car turned onto a long driveway bordered by tall pine trees on both sides. I looked at Dave and saw him press a number on his phone which activated a gate in front. The driveway led to a huge colonial-style building, which was quite rare as most buildings I had seen earlier were modern in architecture.

As the car came closer, I saw that the house was quite symmetrical and it was two stories high. It had a side gable roof and I could see the top of a chimney on the right. There was a porch that seemed to run all around the house and big wide windows gracing the front facade. However, there was a new wing to the left that seemed to have been added later and it had a separate driveway and door.

The car stopped right in front of the central front door which was open at that time and I could see the wooden staircase which was located right in the middle of the hall. There were two adorable wall lamps on each side of the door. Following Dave, I walked right in and we were soon joined by a plump middle-aged lady who rushed to welcome us with a smile.

'Ah, Mr Dawn, so nice to have you back. We were waiting for you. Lunch will be ready in 10 minutes.' She then turned to me and her smile stretched even further. 'Good morning, Miss.'

'Ash, this is Martha, the housekeeper.'

I greeted her and it was so refreshing to have someone smile at me after so much time. Dave's phone started ringing then, wiping the smile off my face. Ever since we had come to Bhuvar we hadn't had time to exchange more than a few words. He took the call and gesturing around the house, he said, 'Have a tour.' I didn't wait for a second invitation. The common spaces were all on the ground floor. On the left of the spacious main hall, there were French doors that led to the dining room, which was connected to the wide kitchen situated just behind it. At that moment big pans were bubbling with god knows what dishes and I left before I was tempted to go around and taste.

On the right, there was the living room with an arched entryway, which was quite formal and it was perhaps designed to receive important guests. There was a large central fireplace which drew the visitor's attention, as well as its elaborate mantel piece. A small door at the back led to the family room, which was decorated in the same style as the living room, but it was warmer. It was clearly a room meant to relax, and there was a big curved screen in one corner. There was another door which seemed to open onto the garden, but it was locked at that time. The blackout curtains on the windows told me that this room was also used as a multimedia room.

I then took the stairs and reached the first floor where there was the master bedroom and its adjoining bathroom. There were 4 other bedrooms as well, much smaller than the first one. It was the master bedroom which captured my attention. The layout was very similar to that in the previous house we had stayed in, the one I thought was Dave's house, but it was much bigger. I longed to explore it in more detail, but I would have to keep it for later as I still had another floor to visit.

The staircase also led to the attic, which seemed to have been converted in a sort of den and study. There were shelves on one facade, which covered the entire wall and most of them were filled with books. Some plush sofas had been artfully arranged around. On the other side there was a pool table and a dart game. There was even a fully functional bar with tall stools around. There were some pictures on the wall, but before I got time to examine them, a small bell rang, and I heard Martha's voice shout, 'Lunch is ready.'

I was famished. The last thing I had eaten were those crackers in the kitchen in the morning. I got down the stairs and walked to the kitchen, where a table had been set for one. Martha seemed to read my mind, and said, 'Mr Dawn is having his lunch in his office.' At my inquiring look, she answered that the office was situated in the separate wing.

'You can go through the outside door, or there is another door, used only by Mr Dawn, through the dining room.'

It was deceiving to be alone again, but I was so hungry that I wasn't going to complain, at least not then. Martha had prepared a chicken stew with big potatoes, steamed rice and a Chayote salad. The dishes all had that additional taste that I had in the meals prepared by Dave, so I understood that she must have used powdered blood as well. It didn't disturb me as much as it had previously, I was slowly getting acclimated to being a vampire, it would seem. I think that it started when I invited Dave to drink my blood. It had been such an intimate act of giving that it completely changed my perspective. Thinking back to this event also reminded me why we had actually been to the forest. I still hadn't found the passageway. Maybe one of the books I had seen in the library would provide me more information about it, or perhaps Nani's book would help as well. Where was it, by the way? Dave was the one who had kept it so he would know. Should I go and ask him or would he see it as an intrusion of his private space? Well, he didn't mind invading my private space with his fingers, I thought with a warm glow, so why should I hesitate, I thought with a sudden burst of courage. Yes, after the meal, I would go to meet him in his office.

A sudden noise brought me back to the kitchen and I saw that Martha was observing me eat with a smile.

''It's delicious Martha,' I said and I was rewarded with another smile.

'Would you like some wine Miss? Mr Dawn had told me to give you a glass, but it completely skipped my mind. You know, so as to celebrate your first day at the house?'

A wave of frustration took over me at that time,

'If your Mr Dawn wanted to celebrate, he would have been here with me for lunch,' I said in an acid tone. 'Please call me Ash.' I then added.

'Oh, don't be angry at the young master, Miss...Ash,' she said with hesitation. 'He's very busy especially since the last attack by the Vetalas.'

That was the second time in the same day that I was hearing about the Vetala. Maybe it was time to get more information about it. But first I had to retrieve Nani's book.