Eduard and I retrieved Amelia and found Stelian tied to a tree near the rear entrance of the castle. Eduard tied them both to the golf cart and led them back to the stable. They are now unsaddled and back in their stalls. He is brushing them down and making them comfortable while I stand by the large barn door of the stable, looking out for Nick. He doesn't talk to me much; he's very preoccupied. Of course he's quite friendly to me though, whenever we speak. Many times, I've wanted to pry out the answer on what happened in the castle. At the same time though, I always consider the fact he may not know. I asked him when he thinks Nick will be back. He's not certain. I should have known he wouldn't be. Something very bad has happened; I don't know what it is, but it sure puts my stomach in a knot.

I hear Eduard behind me say, "Would you like something to drink or anything Ms. Summers?" I gulp and turn around to him; my features are perplexed. He points over to a small fridge on a counter way back in the right corner, "I keep things in there–Juice and water mostly."
"Thanks...but I'm fine."

The inner door opens and I turn around to see Nick coming toward me with a worried face. "So what's going on?" I say. He looks over at Eduard and then back to me, "I don't want to talk about it here. I will tell you after we go back inside the castle, alright?"
"Okay...sure." I say.

We walk out of the stable, into the narrow hallway in silence. I can see a look of calculation on his face. As we enter the big corridor, he says, "I could use a drink right now–would you like a drink?"
"Yeah, I think so."

Soon, we go into the grand room and I'm thinking we will be going upstairs, but no, we make a left turn as soon as we're out of the corridor. He leads me to an archway leading down a few steps to a dim, somewhat narrow hallway that has mahogany walls, no windows–Just paintings, and a shiny, dark brown wooden floor in the middle. The black lamps on the walls are beautifully vintage–Creepy-looking too, but it's exquisite to me. This hall is behind the grand stairs, and we're heading toward the end.

During this walk, I feel a few unsettling things; the atmosphere is heavy and tense, and I feel I shouldn't say a word to him while my curious mind is going in all directions. The suspense–It gets to me so much that I have to ask, "Where are we going?"
He briefly sighs and smiles a little, "There is an office in this hall that has a bathroom in it and I need to use it...if you don't mind." We stop halfway to the end at a door. He says, "I'll only be a minute, I promise." As I study it, I say, "Yes, of course...I'll just...wait out here."
"Thank you." He looks around me suspiciously before giving one gentle nod and going through the door and shutting it behind him.

I inhale a bit shakily, looking ahead now.
There isn't much more walking before reaching that end. It looks so eerie down there. It might be getting darker...or is that an illusion? The lights seem to be dimming down.

"Ivy, come to the end." I hear Nick say. Wait, he just went inside this office. I don't think any doors opened... Could there be a door that was already opened?

"Ivy, please." He's getting impatient. I gently, uneasily ball my hands into fists and start walking toward his voice, no matter how uncomfortable the air is. I should do what he says.

I see a door opening slowly. Instantly, I pause. Am I being too skittish?
"Ivy." he repeats.
"I'm here." I say.

Suddenly, I feel a warm stream of air slither up my back, nearly taking the breath out of me and relaxing me. Quickly, I turn around. There's nothing. No one. It's still in my back and it's rising to the nape of my neck. I feel like the fear is slipping away. Something is making the atmosphere lighter, calmer, more comfortable. What is it? What is this? Oh... Slowly, I close my eyes, sighing softly. "Ivy?" I hear Nick as he comes back out into the hallway. The strange, relaxing warmth stops. I blink a few times.

"Yes...I'm here...I thought you said you where down here." He looks me up and down, then behind me. When he does that, I get the impression someone's there. I turn but see no one. "Come on." He says, coming to take my hand. I step back once, "Nick, who's behind me?"
He stops in his tracks. Looking past me twice, he forms a look of annoyance.

"Will you tell me?" I ask. He offers a hand, tilting his head a little to one side, "I will if you come with me." After that, his eyes rise above my head in a wary sort of way. Now I figure whoever is behind me is just as tall as he is. I'm 5ft 4". He's like 6ft 5". I put my hand in his and he starts for the end I almost went to. In the moment I take my first steps forward, I feel a sudden pressure in my chest. I have to breathe in quickly because of the pain. He looks at me, "Are you alright?" Putting a hand just below my neck, I stare at him, "I–I don't know what just happened... My chest–It's sore." I rub it with two fingers and wince a bit.
"I do." He utters in a sort of disgusted way.
"What?"
"Come on." He guides me along the hall, around a corner and up a spiral staircase until we get to the 2nd floor. The pain is almost gone now. I don't know how. Why did it happen?

"Where is Walter?-And everybody else?" I ask.
"They should be in the maids' office now."
"Oh... Is that where the hurt maid is?"

We approach a door, he opens it for me and I go inside, then he gently shuts it and runs a hand through his hair while walking over to a desk. "Listen, it's tragic what happened to her. I am trying to collect my thoughts but I really need that drink. Please Ivy, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

I slowly look away from him and around at the furniture and decor. Mostly antique, but really well-kept. I get settled and finally look up at him in question. He stands there quietly.

"Are you okay?" I ask. He stares through me...his gaze dropping to my feet, then he sighs, "I am... How are you?"
"I'm fine now. I don't know what happened earlier."
"Well..." He walks to a small table with a phone and intercom, "The wine will surely help you." I watch him use the intercom, telling Fitzgerald to send up the beverages. Maybe because of what's going on here, the maids need to stay together in their office. I'm pretty sure that's where the injured maid is.

He finishes the call and sits next to me in another armchair, rubbing his forehead, "Oh Ivy..."
I slightly raise my hand, wanting to pull his away from his face, but I let it fall back down to my lap. Why am I so afraid to touch him? The closeness just gives me a feeling I can't understand. What do I think he's going to do–Bite me? Get it together Ivy...

He looks at me, "As you heard, I will have to retrieve our drinks from the dumbwaiter in a few minutes." I nod gently. He blinks at me, then pats the right arm of his chair once, "You want to know who was behind you, yes?"
"Well, yeah...I do." I say. He scans my face like he's trying to read my thoughts.
"I'm not afraid." I say. Behind my poker-face though, I truly am becoming terrified. The suspense is murder.

"The one that was behind you was a man named Corneliu." My eyes light up.
He nods, "Ohh yes...Dmitri's brother."
"His brother? Why was he behind me?" I ask.
"You felt...uncomfortable in the hall...didn't you?"
"Yeah." What's he getting at?

"He was protecting you." He says.
"Protecting me... Why did you look at him like that? Like he's your enemy or something? Is he?"
He moves closer to me, "He is not my enemy. I looked at him like that because I want to protect you." I move back slightly out of instinct. Oh my...

"Protect me...from what exactly?" My question makes him halfway grin, then make an agitated sort of look, and he leans back while starting to stare ahead, "It is hard to explain, but I will tell you that it is something you should not concern yourself with."
"What if I get hurt?"
He quickly looks at me, "You would never be harmed. Never."
"...I was alone down there, and something-" I almost admit the weird warm feeling going up my back and the fact my name was being called–not by him, but by something else, I figure. There wouldn't be a way for that to be possible–he would've had to run from one end to the other that fast.

"Something...what?" He quietly asks, brows rising in interest. I become nervous. I put my hands together in my lap, "Well, just after you went into that office, I heard you call my name but I know it couldn't have been you...it was too quick. And you might not believe me when I tell you what else happened."
"I would believe you." He sternly says, staring icily at me. I have to look down.

"It's hard for me to explain but I will say that I felt a stream of warm air slide up my back, to the nape of my neck. Before that happened, I felt vulnerable. But it changed how I felt as soon as it touched my neck; all the fear I had went away. It's still mostly gone. That pain in my chest–you behaved as if you knew what caused that. Do you know?"
"Yes..."

I slowly look back up to him. He is very sure of everything now. He looks like he knows just what I mean. "You were touched." He says, calmly throwing a leg over the other and placing a hand on it.
"By whom?" I hesitantly ask.
"Her name is Jennifer."
"Oh my god... Is she...bad?"
He suddenly slams a fist down on the arm of his chair, "ASTA CURVA!" I instantly sit back, alarmed. He raises his right hand dismissively, "Excuse me...I just really don't like her." I can't blink at the moment; I'm watching him very closely.

"Why did you flip out like that?" I whisper.
We hear a sort of bell ring from the desk with the intercom and phone on it. He lifts a finger and stands, "One moment. That's our beverage call." He walks out of the room and returns after a minute with a fancy silver tray, two glasses and a bottle of wine. He goes over to a coffee table motioning me along the way with a simple tilt of the head. I tentatively rise and meet him there.

As he watches himself pour wine into my glass, he says, "I 'flipped out' because I am on-edge, Ivy. I didn't mean to." He finishes, hands the glass to me, giving a small smile, "You have my apologies. It was entirely wrong of me to do." Taking it from him, I search his face almost ominously. "It's alright... What did you say anyway?"
He pours his wine and tells me, "I said 'that bitch'." Wow, he HATES her!

He puts the bottle down and raises his glass, "She is. She causes a lot of problems."
"So she is bad." I say. He nods, "Yes...but she won't touch you. Never again." I carefully clank glasses with him.

As he takes his first sip, I ask, "What could she possibly do to hurt me besides touching me? She's merely a ghost." The door opens and slams shut, then sounds of nails scraping up the wood fills my ears. A heavy feeling has taken over the room. I immediately jump closer to Nick. He sets his drink down. Fearfully, I watch him mouth the word 'wait' and then he walks to the door and opens it. He just stands there while the loud scraping noise continues. It's starting to hurt my head! I have to put my wine down and cup my ears.

Suddenly, it all ceases. The heaviness has vanished too. I blink rapidly in complete surprise, slowly removing my hands. He turns to me with a face as blank as a sheet of paper. What in the world...? I'm so confused now! "What was all that? It scared the hell out of me!" I quickly say. "It was her, and someone else." he fixes his shirt cuffs as he goes back over to the table.
"Is she gone? Are they gone? Who was with her?"
"For now, yes. They went to a different place–A different part of the castle. Jennifer does this sometimes. Corneliu was trying to get past her to protect us. He's gone too." He sips from his glass, visibly stressed but holding it in well. I'm really having a hard time wrapping my head around all this.

"What is Jennifer's problem and how long has she been here?" I quietly ask. He takes a deep breath, "A long time. She is...envious." He looks at me. I become silent. Envious of what?–Me? Or life in general?

He looks up at the ceiling shaking his head, "She is not all that. She can't do much. She won't."
"Why do you say that?"
"She is afraid of me because I take control. That's what you have to do."
"But Nick, what just happened there in the doorway?"
"I stared her down...and made her very uncomfortable."
"You do that all the time...?" I question, somewhat hinting around about who or what she's envious of. Could it be him or someone else?

"I do it whenever it is needed."
"So that means not all the time, right?"

He brings his glass up and takes a slow sip of the dark wine. What does that look of his mean? It's like what I said irritates him. He won't stop looking at me in that intense way. Then, I'm not sure why...but Gina's words...'So, how was lunch with Vlad the Impaler? Mr. Vampire-man Dracula...' replay in my head. I run my fingers over my glass, then I look down at it, "Not all the time...well that's good. This wine–it's really tasty, thank you." I drink some.

"You're right..." he says, "It is not all the time. But as it happens now, I must protect you. You want to be here a while, don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do..." I definitely want to–No matter what is going on. Why–I don't know. I just really want to be around him and if anything like what just took place happens again, I don't care–I want to be here for him; to help him and give him all the care and kindness he deserves. How well could he 'protect' me though? How would he do it? To know that...I really need to stay.

"...Nicolai, while I'm here, you must know I have questions about these supernatural things."
"Hmm," he gets a small twitch of the lips; I'm not sure if it's a smile or not. "Well then...I could tell you some things." he licks one of his eyeteeth and then slowly takes a sip of his drink. Seeing him do this sends that familiar tingle up my spine. I swallow a bit hard, "But first though, what happened to the maid that got hurt?" His eyes close. Oh, I have just struck a sensitive nerve.

"I'm sorry. I'm just concerned." I say.
He puts his glass down, "No need to apologize Ivy." He looks at me, "It's Maria. She was collecting some dishes from my private kitchen and when she went to the elevator with the cart, she didn't realize the elevator had gone back down to the first floor and so...she fell to her death."
I cover my mouth, eyes enlarging in surprise, "Oh my god...I'm so sorry this happened! When did she fall?" He lets out a large breath and lightly shrugs his shoulders, "That, I don't know."
"Wow, that's shocking!" I say.
"Yes...the police will be here soon to recover her body and to ask questions. Walter will handle that. I am just...shaken." I let my hand down while watching him. Poor man. He needs all the comfort he can get! That was an employee of his; how will he deal with her family, I wonder? "In the meantime, please Ivy; let us talk about something else. There is some time." He says. "Yes, of course."

"You have questions, yes?" he asks. I nod slowly and begin, "Yes, well, I would like you to tell me about Corneliu...and more about your special gift." He waves his hand toward another set of chairs, "I will tell you about him before I go into detail about my...'gift'." The last word he doesn't like. Why in the world would it disgust him when he can possibly do so much with it? "Okay," I take my wine and go sit down there.

"Mr. Vladoiu's brother..." he quietly begins as he joins me with his drink, "A few years ago, he lived here. Life was great then; Dmitri seemed happier. One morning, Corneliu went to get up from a chair and it gave way. A shard of wood cut his arm badly. Dmitri was away, and I did what I could to help patch up his wound-" he stares at his wine, "there was so much blood." He won't take his eyes off it. I start to wonder if he's becoming depressed again.

He quickly looks at me, "I had...help patching it. Surprisingly, he began to heal at a very good pace. However, after a week or two, he became gravely ill; he had gotten an illness–An illness I didn't understand. I took him to the hospital for Dmitri. It was so bad that he fell into a long sleep–A coma. One early morning, Dmitri was called by the hospital. The doctor thought he would die because his heartbeat was so faint. When I could, I came to see him, and when I had arrived, he was awake and fully alert. He seemed alright. I asked him if he was better but he became enraged with me for some odd reason. He blamed his illness on me. I don't know where he got that energy." He trails off at the last few words. I listen intently to this story he's telling me but it's not exactly clicking in my head. What sort of sickness could have caused this slight coma?

"So, when it came time for him to be discharged, Dmitri called a relative that was here on vacation to come to the castle and take him with them back to Romania. Dmitri knew I could not be around Corneliu any longer; the anger he had was so strong."

"Wow... Then...why does Corneliu stay here if he lived somewhere else?"
"Well, it's because he's attached to this place. And he's family to Dmitri, you know."
"But why does he bother you? Is he still mad at you?" I ask.
"He is unhappy because he still thinks I'm responsible for his sickness–and his death. Yes." He says.
"How could that have happened?" He noticeably stills to my words. Soon, he brings his wine up to his mouth, "I have yet to know the answer to that question." I focus on the liquid swishing around in his glass. I really don't know why, but I am getting uncomfortable looking at it. I know though, it must be absolutely crazy to think that way. This is the real world. That's not blood. I'm taking Gina's words about 'Vlad Tepes' too seriously. I need to be alone for a minute. I'm overwhelmed by everything happening.

"Ivy, is there something on your mind?"
I quickly look back up to him, "Oh, well I–I've got to go for a minute, if you don't mind."
He raises an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"
"The bathroom. Would I be followed?" That's a good excuse; the bathroom. "No you wouldn't. I'm sure of that. Go ahead." He waves a hand, "Don't be long though, please... I'll miss you."
I smile and nod at him as I calmly walk out, shutting the door quietly behind me.

I slightly hit the back of my head against the door with a small exhale. I look down both ends of the lit hallway. There's not a soul in sight. I don't know if I should feel safe. There is hardly any fear in me though. Why is that? There's no time for this; I hurry away to find my room. I need to do some quick thinking.

Finding my way there, I slither inside once I see Walter coming around the corner at the end. I don't feel like talking to him right now. I hope he didn't see me!

I walk over to sit on the bed, put a hand on my face and think about the last few things Nick and I were discussing. I just couldn't stop staring at his wine. He treats time like it's nothing to him, sunlight bothers him, he can hypnotize people, he has...long eyeteeth... Oh no. No! I can't think this way! He can't be the kind of person that claims to be a vampire; he can't be the sort of person that has an obsession over vampires. He doesn't have time for that, does he? Well...that is a lifestyle...

I wonder if Maria is a ghost. Could she be talking to him right now? Or would she be in here with me? I could've asked where she is when I was in there with him. It wasn't on my mind at the moment though. Why was she so mean in life? That look she always had...

As for Nick and his 'vampiric traits', I think I should test him. How though...? I look out the window. The sky is clouding up. I need some time to make a plan. This will be no easy task. He's very clever. Hopefully by tonight, I'll have an idea–That is, if I won't be too distracted. Right now, I should be getting back to that room. I'm not certain how things will go when I see him again, but I hope it will all work out smoothly. That might be asking for too much.

With a slap on the knees, I stand up from the bed and make my way over to the door. I open it and suddenly gasp, clutching my chest, "Oh my god–Nick!" He's standing right there; eyes dark and on fire. His head tips to one side and he lightly grins, "I should have escorted you... I don't know what I was thinking. I apologize." he scans me up and down, "Are you alright?" My hand falls and I gulp, "Yes, I'm fine. I was about to go back to that room you were in." He walks toward me, closing the door with his foot, "I somehow knew you would open the door before me."
"How?"
"Prediction, perhaps?" He quietly says. As he gets closer, I keep trying to back up more.
I can't.

"Nick," I almost ask him to stop but I don't. He finally approaches me, "You are so cute." I stare up at him. He notices how shy I look, and it makes him laugh. "Look at you–You are so cute!" My head sinks low into my shoulders. He was sad minutes ago; what is this?

He grabs my shoulders, his smile now as if fascinated, "Ivy, I have something to say; I've noticed that you seem so nervous around me... Look, I want to tell you, you are breathtakingly beautiful in every sense of the word to me. I really find you amazing in all ways describable. You should not feel this way around me, nor should I intimidate you. I am just a person; same as you. You are the most unique flower amongst many within a meadow, and I want to be the one to pick you Ivy...can I do that?" My mouth falls agape. "Well I..." I'm at a loss for words now.

I'm on the spot and he has me locked in place. My body is tense and tingles are shooting up my spine. He looks back down at our hands. A slow smile spreads across his face, "...There is so much to learn." he sighs, "In such little time."

"...Then why don't we start talking now?"
He meets my eyes again, "Stay longer frumoasa mea. Please. I can take care of you; I can give you anything you would ever want."
"Nick, that's-" I don't know how to respond.
"I could give you the happiness you seek." He whispers. I close my eyes slowly, taking in a soft breath. He brushes a finger over my cheek. I turn my head and look down at the floor, "I don't know. I have to think about it."
"Yes, think about it..." He says while admiring my profile and neck.

He sighs, "I will have to–in a while–explain to you how I got my ability to hypnotize. I have some business to tend to. The police are here."
I nod perceptibly, "Of...of course."
He kisses my hand, "We must discuss that in private. Walter will let you know when and where to go. In the meantime, I hate to say this, but I must go. You should remain in your room."
"Would I be alright in there alone?" I ask in a small voice.
"You will not be alone, my dear." He walks over to the phone and calls for Christine. Angel tells him she will be up in a moment. He confirms that with her and then looks at me, letting his finger off the button, "You seem to like her better than the others. I would very much like for us to be together, but we can't at this time. As for the spirits, consider yourself untouchable for a while...for a long while. Don't worry love, you will be fine." He bows his head at me and opens the door, allowing me to go first, then he follows me out.

We see Walter coming up the hall, and soon he approaches us with a questioning look.
"Yes Walter?" Nick says.
"Sir...ahem," He gives him the 'we have to discuss some things in private' expression.
"Of course," Nick looks back at me, "go ahead to your room." He smiles in a genuine way to assure things will be ok. That's one of the smiles I adore most. When he smiles in that wild way, it makes my heart race. I feel like melting on the spot. It gives me a feeling I've never felt before.

I bow my head some and gingerly start my way back to my room as he and Walter head off. Hopefully he's right, but that makes me wonder why I'm 'untouchable for a long while'. So many strange things are happening so quickly. My head is in a huge whirl!

*Frumoasa mea.
My beauty

-Nicolai-

I sit down at my desk as Walter shuts the office door. The phone is ringing. Quickly, I answer it, holding up a finger to excuse myself for a moment. "Yes...certainly...very good. Confirm with Ms. Vega my intentions are to have that product on the market by January 4th. Yes. That meeting will have to be postponed...it does not fit into my schedule... Thank you Mr. Wesson." I hang up and put my hands together on the desk. At least business is moving along nicely.

Walter straightens his posture, "Sir, the police want to see you. I told them everything I know. They have retrieved Maria's body from the elevator shaft and are almost ready to transport it to the mainland." In this moment, I have a flashback of what happened early this morning. After hypnotizing Maria, I stood in my bedroom doorway, watching her open the doors to the elevator and roll the cart inside. She didn't make a sound, nor did she make a face as she fell. Rozalia forced me to smile in a grizzly way through the whole event as the bangs, crunches, smacks, pops, slices and shatters echoed in the shaft. Only I could hear it. And simply after that, as I backed into my room, I quietly shut the door and went to take a shower. Rozalia was ecstatic. Because she was so thrilled, I chuckled to myself during my walk to the bathroom. She was too strong; her excitement overrode me.

Now, I put on a professional face.
"I will be down shortly to speak with them."
"Very well sir, of course."

I flick a hand at the door, "Oh, and also...make sure Christine has gone to Ivy's room and notify me when she gets there."
"It's 'Ivy's room' now, sir?"
"Yes... Do you have a problem with that?" I ask while taking my pager out of a drawer. He makes a slight smirk, "Not at all sir." I lift my chin at him in a bit of amusement as he leaves.