Five

The trip from Alaska to Europe was sure to be a long one. The group were currently on a bus travelling through some non-descript town. They were on this bus till New York where they would get on a plane to England. Then they would be running to Calais, France and then it would be another plane journey to Paris. To Sam it all looked the same, boring and ordinary. Mercy was of course sitting alone on the bus, Laurence and Margret were sitting together and Grifel was sat next to Sam.

Sam had been there for the whole human fascination with Vampires. He’d watched Dracula and seen the sensation of Twilight rise to fame. There were others like The Vampire Diaries and True Blood that were also widely popular (all cited at end of chapter). However they never prepared him for the real thing. Sam had always thought of Vampires as being poor pathetic creatures in desperate search of their humanity of as people who had been changed against their will and were desperately looking for their own true love to accept them.

The human view of Vampires didn’t exactly prepare him for anything. Mercy was a grade A bitch that had ruined his life but Sam was learning to let it go, after all there was nothing he could do about it and having learned a thing or two from Grifel, realized that being angry and bitter about his new life wasn’t worth the effort.

Sam was torn in his hatred for Mercy. In one respect he did hate her for obvious reasons but on the other hand, he could – unfortunately – still remember how he felt about her when he was human. They were memories that contradicted his anger towards her. Like the way her hair moved in the breeze, the plumpness of her lips, her laugh and the way she made him feel so important. A part of him realized how well she’d planned his transition and that all the feelings Mercy had shown had been acted out, they weren’t real. However, foolishly, another part of him was holding onto the feelings he had when he was human and wished they meant something more. He felt it was the curse of being turned.

He desperately wished for anything to distract him from his thoughts, so he asked Grifel about his life. He felt a companionable friendship with Grifel, he didn’t trust him exactly but he knew he wouldn’t be lied to.  

‘You’ve been a vampire a long time haven’t you’ said Sam.

‘Aye, it’s been a long time watching the world move by. Some eras have been better than others’.

‘Do you prefer the human world or your own?’

‘It’s difficult. If you had asked me when I first arrived I would have said I preferred my own world but now I have been here so long, I believe my answer has changed. The human world is such a wonder to watch, so much bad and good in perfect harmony’ he said.

‘Would you tell me your story?’ asked Sam.

‘IT is so boring and ordinary, you would not wish to hear it’ replied Grifel.

‘I only want to hear of your life before coming here, I need another perspective on the whole vampire life. Please I know you’ll give an honest response’ begged Sam.

Grifel glared as if what Sam had said had offended him. Nevertheless he could sense the man was in need of guidance and a distraction from his thoughts. Sam had the look of a man who wasn’t going to give up easily and given the circumstances who could blame him.

‘It was I guess a typically ordinary life. I don’t know what you think our lives would be like but there are many similarities between human culture and the culture of vampires. My life was traditionally simple; welding is in my blood, continuing the business was something very dear to me. I wanted to continue doing something that was a gift to others. It was my main passion in life until I met Martha’.

‘Though I suppose its cliché and sappy to say, Martha was the light I’d been missing. She was a fine dressmaker in a neighboring town and I was smitten. My life’s ambition was to marry her’ he said fondly.

‘And did you?’ asked Sam.

‘Of course, I was so dashing she couldn’t resist. My life with her made me perfectly happy’.

‘Where is she now?’ asked Sam.

‘Perished in the great flood but I lived on as she would have wanted’ said Grifel.

‘I’m sorry’ murmured Sam, knowing he’d misjudged Grifel.

‘No apology needed but you should learn not to judge. Mercy is but one representation of us. It shouldn’t be assumed that we are all like that’ said Grifel seriously.

‘I’m sorry; it is just sometimes hard not to feel anger towards her. I had a plan for my life that I can no longer fulfill’ said Sam.

‘Who says you cannot fulfill it? So you might have to make a few changes, and that is what life is about. It’s the journey that makes it worthwhile not the end result’ said Grifel wisely.

Sam looked away from Grifel contemplating what had been said. As the scenery rushed by, Sam wondered if he was right in his hatred for Mercy or if it was all just a waste of time. What was the chance of him staying mad forever? He didn’t want to become the grumpy old man who would eventually hate everything but wanting to change and actually changing were too entirely different things.

Mercy had – of course- heard the entire conversation between Sam and Grifel, the act of talking about one’s past or feelings bemused her. Others could not help so why burden them. Still the picture Grifel had painted – however sickening it seemed 0 struck a chord in Mercy. She remembered a time in her childhood when she longed for the perfect family, where she would be swept off her feet and carried off into the sunset by her knight in shining armor. There had been days – she remembered – when Thayer’s mood hadn’t been so bad. He was still an evil dictator but he occasionally remembered that he was also a brother – though this was a rare occurrence.

On the eve of Mercy’s fifteenth birthday, her brother had announced that a grand ball was to take place, in honor of his dear sister. Mercy had been terribly excited about the event, her excitement shining through her usually cold impeniratable exterior. Balls, parties and events had once been grand and proper, a way for the royal family to give back something to the population but since Thayer had started to rule the parties had stopped and resources were used for other more important ventures.

Mercy’s gown was of a deep burgundy color, her hair piled on her head and her feet strapped into perfect crystalized stilettos. Her handmaiden even had the audacity to complement her outfit out loud and Mercy had truly felt like a real princess. She wasn’t a stranger to formal etiquette but when she descended those stairs she felt a nervous flutter in her chest and when she was greeted with the hand of her brother on her elbow the nerves increased – no one should be allowed to smile that sinisterly.

The dancing started almost immediately and Mercy wasn’t given time to ponder her brother’s expression. She was thrust into the arms of a stranger, then another and another. Always turning, never stopping. She was feeling dizzy and claustrophobic. She kept passing people who remarked on the flawlessness of her dancing or the attractiveness of her partners. The conversation all came down to one thing and Mercy felt foolish for not seeing it sooner. It was all a hunt, just a game only the prey wasn’t human, no it was her and the goal was to find her a husband. Mercy couldn’t take the stares of whispered conversations any longer, she left by the south gate, running in the direction of the garden and hiding I the forgotten gazebo, crumbling with age and overridden with ivy. It was to be the night Mercy turned off all emotion and feeling and became what she is now.

‘Everything is set my King’ spoke a hushed voice.

‘Good’ replied the voice of Thayer.

‘The Princess will not be happy when she finds out’.

‘’I do not doubt that but she will no longer be my concern’ said Thayer.

‘Yes my Kind, of course my King’ said the voice.

‘God, I cannot wait to stop pretending to care for the brat. She is just another pawn that needs to be irradiated, I cannot allow her to complicate things’ murmured Thayer.

‘Complicate things my King?’

‘Yes, I have tried to teach her, to brake her and mold her the way I desire but she is too stubborn and her independence too strong. She would seek to destroy me if she had the chance, her nature is just as vicious as mine. My only regret is that she did not die when I eradicated the rest of the family, her death will be my salvation!!’ thundered Thayer.

Mercy took a sharp intake of breath signaling her presence to the others. Due to quick thinking she managed to position herself to look as though she were sleeping- it would not do if she was otherwise caught awake.

‘My King it is your sister’.

‘Is she awake?’ asked Thayer.

‘No she sleeps deeply’ replied the voice.

‘Take her to the tower, lock her up, she has disobeyed me?’ said Thayer.

‘My King?’

‘She left the party unaccompanied, what a naughty child’ he said, a sinister smirk playing on his face.

Mercy stayed in a daze of memories, moving blindly till another voice invaded her senses.

‘Mercy, Mercy. MERCY?’ Ahem, your highness!!!’ shouted a voice.

Mercy’s eyes unglazed and she focused her sight on Grifel who was standing before her. She looked at him expectantly not bothering to act anything other than her usual superior self.

‘We have arrived in England, it is time to run’ said Grifel.

Mercy nodded her head silently.

‘You are alright my Lady?’ asked Grifel.

‘Fine’ said Mercy, ‘There is no need to title me’.

‘You may not want the title but it belongs to you. Allow me the honor of naming you this’.

Mercy nodded her head in Grifel’s direction, though she disliked any formal title – thanks to her brother’s treatment – it was imperative for her to get used to it should her mission succeed.

Cited:

Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. United States: Little, Brown and Company.

Coppola, F. (1992). Dracula [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures

Williamson, K. (Executive Producer). (2009). The Vampire Diaries [Television series]. United States: The CW

Ball, Alan. (Creator). (2008). True Blood [Television series]. United States: HBO