Chapter Three - Eli

1864. Eli sat in the carriage that moved through the streets of central, high class London. He leaned against the door and peered out the window. The side of the road had men and women who dressed in fine clothing, he looked on as many of them spoke and walked along the footpaths clear of the busy road. They passed many other high-end carriages that must have had important people in them. Eli was exhausted, he's been struggling with reality for the past few days now as well as sleep, so much so that his parents have sought out professional help. They were worried about him. Everyone in his family felt it was best he'd have a professional to confide in, Lord knows he wasn't willing to speak to anyone else. He felt like an outcast, a real black sheep in his family. Today was just about as miserable as the last few, he was not looking forward to what today had install. That is, unlike his sister Adelaide who was despite Eli's situation was having a fine morning. She was staring right at Eli from the opposite seat in the carriage, a curious smile on her face.

Eli let out a sigh, "What?"

"I can't believe you actually did it, I'm not sure whether you're insane or well... insane." Adelaide's voice beat hard against the side of Eli's ear, having Adelaide as a sister was annoying enough but, having a perky Adelaide as a sister early in the morning was unbearable for him.

Eli kept his face looking out the window of the carriage paying his sister's gaze no mind, "None of you believe me, I'll save my breath." He said in a weak voice.

"Oh no, I believe you little brother. Still, quite the mess you've made. I wonder what the doctor will think of this."

The carriage came to a stop.There was a large house, it was surrounded by other houses that sandwiched it between them. It was towering in height and was right off the busy street. Central London is where you'd go to find the more wealthier high class people, also the most narcissistic, pompous, dastardly and influential characters that city had to offer. Although, this house that Eli has to visit today was okay. He always liked the Leightons, they were family.

Adelaide opened the carriage door and looked back at her brother before disembarking, "Hey. I meant what I said, I believe you. I was only teasing before, you're not crazy Eli. You will get through this. You're a Birch after all." She leaned over and kissed her brother on the forehead and exited the carriage moving towards the house. She was right. Eli was going to get through this, after all he is a Birch. His parents were among the higher class echelon. They had the backing of very important people, The Birch family was close to royalty in certain parts of London, central being one of them.

Eli exited the carriage. He dragged his feet as he walked towards the entrance to the house. The large wooden door was already wide open. There's only one person he knew who had the habit of leaving doors open, his carefree sister Adelaide. He walked into the house closing the door behind him. The house although being wedged between two other houses was very spacious inside. His shoes were meet with nice oak floors and white wooden walls, flushed with fine art and, candles that stood on their holders mounted against the wall and lit up the entrance, all the way deeper into the house. Eli looked up to see a chandelier that hung over him, it was wide and circular in shape, housing many candles around it's perimeter. In front of him was a large staircase that went to the upstairs part of the house and, there were passages along both sides of the staircase on the downstairs level that went further into the house.

Eli heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was a woman, she was slender, pretty and had short blonde hair, the signature Birch blonde hair. "Hello aunt Claire."

The woman reached the bottom of the steps and gave Eli a hug, she smelt like roses and was warm. She shook Eli from side to side "Eli. It's so good to see you. How's my big little nephew?" Yes, Dr. Claire Leighton was Eli's father's sister. She who was once upon a time Claire Birch was now a Leighton and, the sole reason Eli has come to visit the house of his cousin Rose. The one natural signature feature the Birch family had was the blonde hair, a pure golden blonde; blonde hair, blonde eyebrows as well. Claire, Eli, his father and Adelaide all had it. The only thing that put them apart was eye colour. Eli's father had blue eyes, so did Adelaide. Eli and Claire had green eyes.

"I'm okay."

"Oh rubbish, I heard about the week you've had. I want to listen to it. I'll have one of the nannies fetch us both a cup of tea and you tell me all about it okay?"

"Okay."

"Right come now." Eli followed as his aunt lead him into a room that had large bookshelves at the back. A table in the middle of the room, a large chair behind it and two chairs that sat opposite it across the table. Claire took her seat behind the chair behind the desk and Eli sat in one of the two chairs on the other side. "Well, Eli. You're not in trouble I just want you to tell me what happened that day, in the kitchen with that man." A Hispanic woman then walked into the room and placed two cups of tea on the table, one close to Eli and the other to Claire. "Thank Lucia, do close the door on your way out." She nodded and as she left the room she closed the doors behind her, leaving Eli alone with his aunt.

"Well, He was... different. He was scary and dangerous, also he-"

"Alright, alright." Claire interrupted. "I have a better idea, you're clearly tense Eli. Come here." Claire stood from her chair and walked over to sit in another chair to the side of the room, next to the chair she sat in was a bed almost, it was a large chair that reclined into a bed. "Lie down on it for me Eli." Eli did as he was told. He laid his body on the chair and got comfortable. "Now, it's just you and I Eli. Adelaide is upstairs with Rose and your parents are at home. Think of the night that you were with that man, tell me what happened, go back to that night." Claire leaned over her seat and put her hands at each side of Eli's head and began slowly rolling his head from side to side. "I want you to close your eyes Eli, don't tell me what happened just think it." Eli closed his eyes and started to remember three days ago. "Now Eli, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Eli replied. He was feeling sleepier and sleepier as Claire kept rolling his head.

"Eli can you hear me?" She repeated.

"Yes." He replied once more as his aunt kept rolling his head, he struggled to reply that time though. He felt his consciousness slowly fading.

"Eli can you hear me?" Eli did hear her but he couldn't say a thing. His mouth wouldn't move. His aunt's voice was like a distant echo that called out into his mind as his closed eyes entrapped him in a black abyss. She then spoke once more, "Eli... sleep."

Eli was at home in his bed. He did what he always did, woke up and had his breakfast and got ready for his tutor to arrive. It was ten past seven in the morning. His tutor came at eight. He sat in the living room going over some of his prep work that his teacher gave him yesterday. He wasn't a fan of schooling in general but, being home schooled had it's perks. He planned out his private lessons with critical effect in an effort to minimize the amount of learning he'd have in the day. Firstly, he'd go for frequent, prolonged toilet breaks, prolonged tea breaks and purposely took his time when answering easy questions he already knew the answer to. These shenanigans pulled a combined effort of knocking out at least two hours out of the six in which he had to do actual school work. Eli was twelve so he didn't have to do as much work as Adelaide who was seventeen. Unluckily for her, her tutor was here from six in the morning till two in the afternoon helping her.

He had about fifty minutes to spend before his tutor Miss Lowton came to take him for his lessons. So he decided to wonder outside of his family's manor. His father Christian Birch was a lord of the manor here. Eli's family had a wine business and had the largest orchard in London. The outside of the manor was surrounded by orchards on every corner or their property.

As he entered the front courtyard, he saw a young man and woman with their hands all over each other getting very well acquainted with one another, they were part of the house help. They wore aprons so they must've been apart of the kitchen staff. The young man had his hands wrapped around the woman and was kissing her. Eli then saw the young man take the woman by the hand and they went behind one of the sheds that was used to keep supplies for harvest. They must have been going there for privacy. Eli was against snooping and being a peeping Tom but, he was okay with it as long as it was him who did it. These were his 'Rules for thee and not for me'. Besides he was bored, so he thought what the heck.

Eli has been around all the orchards around the house and knew his way with all of them. At this particular shed, he knew there was a tree that he could climb to give him a clear vantage point to see what the young man and woman were doing behind there. So he ran towards the tree and began his ascent. He got to the top and got a look right at the other side of the shed and surely enough, there they were. Hands all over each other and their faces stuck to one another. He moved up a branch that would get him in for a closer look. Eli was getting a close up to see grown people do what grown people do and they hadn't noticed him yet.

The young man was kissing the woman on the neck and then all of a sudden, although he wasn't too close to get a clear look. Eli saw the young man open his mouth wide open and bite down into the young woman's neck. The woman began to struggle and attempted to scream but the man had long put his hand over her mouth. She began to stop struggling and Eli saw him drink from her neck. Eli began to shake uncontrollably on the branch, fearing for what he was seeing. The couple had wondered far into the orchard, no one was near and Eli didn't want to call for help as he was too close and would alarm the man. Also, Eli wanted to desperately help that poor woman. Against his better judgment he called out to him, "Hey! Leave her alone!"

The young man's head whipped towards Eli. Without taking his eyes off of Eli, he snapped the young ladies neck and dropped her lifeless body to the ground. He then darted towards Eli. Eli quickly made his way down the tree and began to run back to the manor. He would occasionally look back and see the young man gaining on him. The closer the man got to Eli, the louder he began to hear them; those snarls that became louder and louder as he neared Eli. He turned out of the orchard and had the manor in sight, he saw some house staff and orchard workers walking and began to shout towards the for help. They turned their attention to him and hurried towards him.

"What's the matter?" One of the men asked him as they approached. Eli turned around and saw nothing, the man chasing him was gone. Eli then sprung into action and spoke.

"A man killed a woman behind the shed, hurry. Follow me." He lead the way back to the shed and when they got there, there was nothing.

"Are you alright Eli?" Another one of the workers asked.

"There's a bad man here I swear it." Eli said in a very exasperated voice.

"It's almost time for your lessons isn't it? we'll take you back." The man put his hand on Eli's shoulder and him and his men took Eli back to the manor.

Upon reaching the manor, Eli decided to go to his sister as his parents were in the city on business. Adelaide was sitting at a table, pencil in hand and chewing on it as she gazed into her workbook. Her tutor Mr. Lombard was right next to her seated reading a book.

"Adelaide, I saw someone kill a woman outside."

Both Mr Lombard and Adelaide looked up from their books at Eli, concerned facial expressions on both of them.

"Someone was murdered?" Mr Lombard asked.

"Yes sir. A man killed a woman outside by one of the sheds and chased me."

"Well, where is this man now if he chased you?" Adelaide asked as she chimed in.

"I don't know he disappeared as I was getting back, the other men must have spooked him." As Eli finished that statement an uninterested Mr Lombard turned his focus back on his book and, excluded himself from further questioning.

Adelaide looked at her brother, "Ah is that so, did anyone else see the man?"

"No, he just disappeared as I was getting closer to the house. He's still out there."

"Well, Eli is there a body that we can see from the dead woman?"

"No, it's weird. The body was gone moments after we went back to look." Mr Lombard scoffed and kept his eyes on his book. Adelaide let out a sigh.

"Eli we can do this after my algebra please."

"Adelaide I'm not lying, please you have to believe me. You have to." Eli's voice was breaking as he pleaded towards Adelaide. She saw that her little brother was one or two more words from a complete meltdown. She took her pencil out of her mouth and set it down, sat up straight and looked her brother in the eye.

"Okay Eli, what do you want us to do. How can I help?"

"I don't know, we need to find him. He'll kill me as well."

"How?"

"He was drinking from the woman's neck and twisted it till it broke when he saw me."

Mr Lombard regained interest and took his eyes back to meet Eli's, "Like a vampire?"

"What's a vampire?" Eli asked. Mr Lombard uninterested again ignored Eli and went back into his book.

"It's a monster that looks like us but drinks blood Eli." Adelaide answered. "It's almost eight in the morning. Vampires can't move around when there's sun. even if it is cloudy at the moment. I don't think one would risk it."

"But I saw it, it was there."

"Couldn't have been Eli, you were seeing things. You'll be okay."

Mr Lombard then looked away from his book again to enter the conversation. "Well it's odd but I have to notice that, if Eli had no previous knowledge of what a vampire was. Would it be insane to suggest that he may have actually seen one?"

"You're overly talkative all of a sudden Mr Lombard, does this mean you're ready to help me answer this problem?" Mr Lombard looked at Adelaide and then back at his book and this time leaned back in his chair. Adelaide sighed more heavily. "Look Eli, you said it yourself that it's gone. If it comes back, from what I've read. Just stick a wooden stake in it's heart."

"What's a wooden stake?"

"Just get a sharp piece of wood and stab it. In the heart. It'll get the job done."

"Can you help me?"

"Sure." Adelaide smiled at Eli. "I'll help you, so don't cry and you can sleep in my room with me tonight. Just in case it comes back. We'll be ready for it."

Eli let out a sniffle and hugged his sister. "Where can I find a stake?"

"Um... there's a broken dining chair in the pantry. Grab one of the legs and we'll be good to go. Don't worry, we only need one. Then come back and get ready because Miss Lowton will be here soon for you lessons. No skipping out because of a vampire okay?"

"Okay." Eli replied.

"Good, now go get that stake and get ready for class."

Eli began to head down to the kitchen. It was on the other side of the house. He got to the open walkway that lead into the kitchen and passed the oven that went into the pantry. He saw a chair on the shelf that only had three legs. He pulled one of the legs off and hit it against the wall and it shattered giving a sharp end.

He then heard the pantry door close behind him. He quickly turned and his biggest fears came to life, It was the man. He had closed Eli and himself off in the pantry.

He had brown hair, brown brows, he was lanky, pale and had bloodshot eyes. He looked at Eli at then opened his mouth, revealing two sharp pointed front teeth in his mouth that, followed with a short hiss and then that same haunting snarl. Eli was about to scream and the man came at him attempting to silence him before he could sound but, before Eli was grabbed, he quickly took out the stake from behind his back and pointed it outwards towards the vampire and, the man ran right onto it catching him in the chest. He stepped back and screeched. Eli Pushed past him and opened the door running back to the dining.

"Adelaide! Help!" Halfway down the corridor he met his sister as she hurried to see what he was shouting about.

"What's wrong? Miss Lowton is waiting for you by the way." Eli didn't speak and grabbed his sister by the hand taking her back to the kitchen. Mr Lombard and a few house staff followed to see what the commotion was about. They arrived to see a man who sat against the pantry door, a wooden chair leg stuck in his chest, he lay there dead. There were gasps from behind them as several house helpers swarmed to the kitchen as well as Mr Lombard and saw the dead man. Adelaide looked at Eli. "What did you do?"

"He's the vampire, he came for me and I stabbed him in the heart."

Adelaide's eyes widened and she couldn't take them off Eli, "Eli what did you do?" Adelaide was on the verge of tears as to what she had seen her brother do, before Eli could speak he heard an overbearing voice command him.

"Eli wake up." Just like that, Eli woke up in a cold sweat face to face with his aunt Claire, both her hands still on his head. "Breathe for me Eli, deep breaths okay?" Eli continued to wheeze, he was so out of breath, he couldn't believe he was in this room with his aunt the whole time. He felt like he relived three days ago, that he was there again. "Can you sit up Eli?"

"Yes." He replied and sat up as his aunt let go of his head. He began to cough and looked back at Claire who was writing something on her notepad in her chair. "What happened, what did you do to me?"

Claire looked up at Eli, "Hypnosis. It's not the traditional swinging watch method of doing it but, I'm glad it worked because it so happens I didn't have a swinging watch on me." She chuckled. "You were too tense, I could tell you weren't going to recollect the events well. I thought a little hypnosis would do you good and it did. You told me me everything Eli; the shed, the woman and the vampire. Now I know for sure your story isn't made up."

"How long was I asleep?"

"No, you weren't asleep Eli but, you were unconscious for about a minute or so." Rose then walked in and came towards her mother and Eli.

"You knocked him out? I used to hate it when you did that."

"Um excuse me, I hypnotized him and, you used to volunteer to try my hypnotherapy."

"Only because I thought it was fake."

"Well don't you feel stupid? I just took our young Eli on a journey."

Rose looked at how sweaty and disorientated Eli was, "I can see, must have been quiet the trip. Are you done with him?"

"I've gotten all I need, yes"

"Right I'm going to make sure he cleans up." Rose stretched out her hand to take Eli's and, guided him out of her mother's office. "Are you okay Eli?"

"No, This is the worst week ever."

Rose chuckled, "You're very brave Eli. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"When ever you see another vampire or something scary, come to me okay?" Rose was always so nice to Eli. She was the big sister he'd always wanted.

"Okay. I promise."

"Good, now let's get you all cleaned up. I need to be on my way to The Royal College in a bit and, you're taking me there." Eli smiled. "Don't laugh. Do you know what happened to the last person who delayed me from going?'

"What happened to them?"

"I cut him in half and shot him in the head." Rose said playfully. Eli laughed. "Still laughing are you? I murdered his wife and child too." Eli burst out laughing more, not knowing how far true his cousin sister's words were.