8 Daffodils in a Baby Blue Vase

Rayne freezes at the sight of the mysterious man in front of her. His long, straight black hair is wet and hangs down slightly in front of his vision. His eyes, which are narrow and dark like voids, are fixated upon her. His face is thin and concerned, with a slender nose and a sharp jaw.

'Who is this man?' she thinks. He takes a step toward her and outstretches his hand defensively.

"Don't worry." He says. Before Rayne can even blink, he swoops her and Clementine in his arms and rises out of the cellar without using the ladder. Gently, he sets them down on the cold, wet grass and stands up. Rayne looks up at him in shock of what just happened.

'How'd he do that?' she thinks. Then it dawns on her. He's the vampire. Fear strikes her face as she realizes and begins to scramble to her feet. "Plea…please don't hurt us." She pleas. She remembers Ms. Past's words from earlier that day. "I..I won't tell anyo…" she reasons, stammering and terrified. The vampire reaches out again.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He assures. Rayne looks at him uncertainly through the pouring rain. He can see her large hips and shapely curves under her clinging dress. Her small, cold nipples are poked out slightly through the thin fabric. "What's your name?" he asks.

"Rayne." She says quietly. 'Do they normally ask for names before killing people?'

"Rayne…" he repeats, grinning, "ironic." He nods up to the dumping clouds.

'Is he joking with me?' Rayne thinks, confused and scared. "Um…what's your name?" she asks, not wanting to insult the young night creature, making him slay her right here.

"Drake." He replies shortly. His voice is cool and deep. He looks down at Clementine gently curled on the ground. "Your friend isn't doing well. You should get her to a doctor." Rayne glances at her.

She nods. "Yes…I will. Um…thank you for…"

"My pleasure Rayne." Her name drips off his lips like honey, causing her stomach to flutter. "Take care." He says before looking up and leaping into sky. Just as quickly as he came, he disappears behind the black clouds, leaving Rayne speechless. She stares into the sky for a moment before swooping down to pick up Clementine. Coiling around her friend's waist, she throws Clementine's thin arm over her shoulders to help support her limp body and begins to drag her down the muddy street. Finally, Rayne makes it to the doctor's cabin. She gently sets Clementine against the house and hectically pounds on the door.

"Mr. Bayer! Please open up! Please, Mr. Bayer it's Clementine!" she yells. The old man is wary to open the door lest it be a night creature trying to trick him. He peaks over the wooden plank across his window to see Rayne wet and banging frantically on his door. Rayne sees the flicker of a candle inside before the cabin door unlatches and opens. "Oh thank you Mr. Bayer! It's Clementine!" she exclaims, "I don't know what happened. I found her locked in a cellar and…and she won't wake up." She panics, "Her arm is bruised and she's very cold. Please help!" she pleas. He looks down at Clementine through thick lenses.

"Of course child, bring her in." he answers, stepping aside to let her through. She pulls Clementine up again and drags her into the doctor's home. "Jonah!" he calls out, "Jonah I need your room!" He locks the door behind the girls. Jonah stands in the living room. The young boy is wide-eyed and terrified at the sight of the comatose woman being hauled in. "It's okay Jonah," Mr. Bayer says, patting his young son on the head, "she's just caught a cold. Go and grab me a bucket of water from the kitchen." The brown-haired boy nods and stampers away to the back of the house. "This way." The old man motions to Rayne to follow him, hobbling forward on his cane. Rayne follows and lays Clementine's clammy body gently on Jonah's bed. Clementine frowns at her discomfort, still unconscious.

"Is she going to be okay?" Rayne worries. The little boy comes stammering in with a bucket full of water. He sets it down for her and runs out of the room. Mr. Bayer hands Rayne two dry, folded nightgowns.

"She needs to get out of those wet clothes and so do you. We have plenty of water, I need you to wash her and get her changed. You can do the same after." He begins to leave the room.

"Thank you." She stops him. He nods with a smile and closes the door behind him. Rayne is grateful he would see her and Clementine at his own home at this time. She looks down at her sick friend. "Oh Clem…" she says, walking over to her. Rayne grabs a towel and dunks into the water bucket. She gently wipes the mud from Clementine's cheeks and hair. She leans her into a sitting position and unbuttons her dingy, wet dress before peeling it off her from the bottom. Rayne finishes cleaning her friend and gets her dressed into one of the new, dry gowns. She looks down at Clementine sadly, wishing her to get better while she tucks her under the cotton blanket. Rayne calls from the door. "Mr. Bayer! She's dressed!" The old man appears a moment later and sits at the young woman's bedside. Rayne grabs a dry towel and wets it before closing herself in the bathroom across the hall. The room is small and painted yellow. A small bundle of daffodils sits squished into a baby blue vase on the counter. Rayne reaches out and strokes the velvety petals, bringing her back to a more peaceful time. She breathes deeply and looks in the mirror, dabbing her face with the damp towel. She thinks of Drake.

'Why did he help me? Was he really the one that killed old Mr. Hytop?' Her mind begins to race with confusing questions. He wasn't at all how she's pictured vampires all these years. The villagers always told stories of how vampires have hideous, accentuated features. 'He was actually quite handsome.' she thinks accidentally which causes her to blush. She's heard that their skin is pitch black like the night whereas his was pale. The stories mostly talk of their eyes shining like fire through a dark shadow that hovers around them. Some say if you look close enough, you can see small flames flickering as if hell sat in their pupils. Rayne was never sure of how anyone would know that and live to tell; besides, Drake's eyes were black. She shivers as she remembers how they seemed to stare through her and into her soul. 'Was he even a vampire?' she questions, 'Of course he was, he flew away…or is he a witch? No, his hair was black. He definitely wasn't human though…' her thoughts trail off. Perplexed, she shakes him from her mind for now. She finishes cleaning and changing herself and heads back to where Clementine sleeps.

"How's she doing?" she asks the doctor nervously. Clementine's arm was now wrapped tightly with cloth to hold the broken bones in place. She lay tucked in on her back with her arms at her sides, looking peaceful yet clammy.

"We won't know tonight." He replies somberly. Rayne can tell by his expression she isn't well which frightens her severely. "She is small." He continues, "That allowed the cold to affect her much quicker than it would a larger person, and worse too. Her heart is slow." He frowns.

"She's strong." Rayne chimes in hopefully.

"She is…" The quiet old man repeats. "you can stay here on the floor if you'd like. Jonah will sleep on the couch. There is nothing more we can do now but wait." Rayne nods and Mr. Bayer leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Rayne sits next to the bed and takes Clementine's hand in her own.

"Please be okay." She whispers to her. "I need you. I can't lose you." Tears begin to fall down her cheeks. "I need you here with me Clem, you're all I have. You can't leave me." Rayne rests her head on Clementine's arm. She sobs and begs her in hushed tones not to leave. Exhausted from the day, she quickly cries herself to sleep.