Van Helsing's Sister, Dracula's Bride

Dracula chuckles at my question, wiping the blood off his face and licking his fingers clean. I glare at him, swallowing back the bile rising in my throat. "No," he answers finally," I want your brother to be there, I want him to see it with his own eyes. I want him to see his baby sister at the feet of his enemy." Dracula rises from the bed and walks to the window a few feet from my bed, hands behind his back. "Get up, the dress you will be wearing to the ball is in your wardrobe."

I move my hands, finding that the rope has loosened just enough so that I can take them off and sit up. The blood rushes to fill my wrists again, making them get the pins and needles sensation. The room spins for a second from blood loss, stopping soon after and allowing me to stand. I ignore the cold floor and walk to a floor length mirror on the far side of the sparsely furnished room.

The nightgown I am dressed in is floor length and made of white silk with white lace down the front and on the cuffs, the front wasn't too far low cut; too much for my taste, though. Dracula places his hands on my shoulders, kissing the spot just below my ear. "Get dressed; I'll be back in here to take you downstairs shortly." He walks out, his footsteps echoing eerily against the stone.

When the door is shut I rush over to it and lock it; I knew that wouldn't keep him out, but I at least needed a bit of privacy. I walk over to the large, oak wardrobe and open its double doors, finding an extravagant gown; it is purple with some black lace on it, corset top, the sleeves are the width of two fingers, the bottom brushes the floor, and has a slight trail. In the bottom corner of the wardrobe are a pair of plain, black heels; how the hell am I supposed to walk in those? Tonight will be torture!

"Marishka," I hear an unfamiliar voice call through the bedroom door," let us in to help you dress." Hesitantly, I walk over and open the door, revealing a woman with long, blonde hair and Aleera, false smiles on their beautiful faces. They walk in, shutting the door behind them.

"Why did you lock it," Aleera sneers. I shrug, throwing the dress at her. "This is Tara, by the way."

"Just help me so I can get this over with," I grumble, not acknowledging the newest bride's presence any more than I have to. My nightgown is removed and the dress replaces it soon after. Tara sits me at the vanity and begins to brush my hair while Aleera applies make up; when they're done I open my eyes, a bit nervous about what they did to me. My hair is curled and on top of my head apart from two strands that frame my face; make-up wise, my dark eyes stand out because of the even darker colors of the eye make-up, and my lips are a shade darker of pink than they usually are.

Hurry up, Van, I need you...You and Carl! Why hasn't he shown up, surely he's not just going to leave Anna and me here in a castle full of Vampires! He hasn't given up on me has he? I can't help the paranoid thoughts that race through my mind as I slip on the heels and mask; did he finally remember who he is and give up on me?