The R Word
The slam of books derails my train of thought pulling my attention to the doctor who made his way around his desk to his chair. I noticed the words on the book's cover seemed to writhe and wiggle.
"Did you hear my question, Willow?" the doctor asked his voice feeling distant and underwater. I wrenched my hands together letting my nerves shake my leg.
"It's fine I still get to work just fine and I haven't forgotten any of my life skills." I felt my disinterest grow as I signed my answer.
"I asked how your missing memories have made you feel, Willow." disinterest turned into disdain and annoyance at the nuance of his question.
"Why don't you call me Rose?" I ask defensively not trying to hide my defiance.
"I'm sorry?" he demanded.
"You call me Willow my Middle name why!?" I scream reaching my feet and crossing the room.
"Willow it was you who asked me to call you that remember? Also, I asked you a question how do you feel?" The doctor's gaze stayed cold and analytical.
"I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING, HAPPY?! NOT SCARED, NOT SAD, NOTHING!" I scream slamming my hands down on his desk hoping to thaw some of his demeanor with my fiery but instead, he calmly readjusted certain items I had knocked askew.
"I think it's time I reminded you of the R-word, Willow." his voice was distant and I felt something growing in my chest.
"Say. My. Name." I lean forward on the desk glaring at the calculating wall of ice. The doctor takes a deep breath in and slowly exhales before standing and placing himself in a similar stance as me on the opposite side of the desk.
"It's time to sleep R-
_____
"ROSE! ROSE!? PLEASE!" my eyes lift slowly like a lead curtain to see Emily. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sat over me calling my name. My head felt like firecrackers were going off inside. I attempt to sit up with help from Emily while taking in more of my surroundings. I sat against a stone wall in what looked like a prison cell. My head pounded and felt too heavy to hold and leaning against the wall caused a sharp pain that I reach to feel was being caused by a knot the size of a baseball.
" You came flying through the bars head first into the wall. " Emily said looking me over as if I shouldn't be moving I turn to see the place I had impacted and was horrified by what I saw spider webbing cracks drenched in slow-drying blood made me question what the hell was I.
" Alive is what you are and you're welcome. " Interjected Rose her tone held a slight disdain, but I was glad she didn't completely hate me.
"I saw you change right before you made contact with the wall your hair and eyes turned red..." Emily said scooting closer to me on the floor of the cell.
"What happened to you?" I manage to ask trying to get a grip on the situation.
"i-I'm not sure... I was there talking to all of you and then I was moving. Fast! Faster than anything I've ever experienced and then I was in this cell... but that's not important right now! The man running this place is a Vampyr!" she seemed frantic borderline panic attack.
"Is that bad?" I asked concern growing in my chest.
"There's been a string of kidnappings in the velvet district. At first, it was just teens at random but I and lily saw a change in the patterns they started somehow focusing on Chimarians an-
-Chimarians? Is that what you call these mutts haha how amusing!" horror gripped us both as we realized sitting in between us the entire time was the silvered-eyed man from earlier. We scramble to our feet and I place myself between him and Emily.
"Now is that the proper way for guest to treat their host?" the man slowly rose from his crouched position I could now tell he was tall and very thin, his hair was a tinge of red and blonde that was nicely tamed on his head, a set of silver daggers traced our bodies slowly sending chills up my spine, but what had my legs locked in place was this warm spiderish grin on his face and an eerie rope burn mark around his neck.
"Said the spider to the fly!" Emily yelled from behind me causing the man to chuckle.
"This isn't good Willow I think I know what family he's from, you see the mark on his neck that means he's-" I felt a whoosh of air and watched as the man in front of me started to dissipate like a mirage.
I whip around quickly to see him outside of the bars holding Emily vertically in his arms one hand covering her mouth. I rush to the bars to grip them to feel needles of pain shoot through my palms into my arms forcing me to release.
" Careful these bars bite. " he said with a chuckle and as if on command the bars grew tiny sharp mouths that licked their lips and chattered at me.
"What are you? When I slung you against that wall I felt a surge of Abyssal essence from you, but it was wrong..." As he asked this question his eyes began to glow a silver iridescent. I felt something tugging at the corner of my mind and immediately Rose lashed out pushing the intruder away.
"See there it was again hahaha not so demonic but very much so a possession... You'll definitely be worth dissecting." A chill ran up my backbone.
"But before that... Are you a vampyr child?" Emily struggled and squirmed in his grip.
"You smell human but something else is there as well, your clothing is telling you obviously come from a high-ranking family..." He sucked his fangs in frustration taking several more whiffs of Emily.
"Let her fucking go!" I felt disgust and hatred grow in me pushing me to grip the bars again instead of needles I felt the bars sink their fangs into my skin I grunted through the pain pulling with all my might with no give.
"Alan! To me!" one of the black-eyed children appeared with that trail of black wisp behind him.
"S-sire?" he stuttered not breaking gaze with the ground.