Arches

      Gothic architecture had always been an interest of Darcy’s. She absolutely loved the ominous, deserted feeling one got from such a lovely home. The arches were her favorite though. Something about them seemed to absorb her attention. This was how Darcy found herself staring up at the Gothic mansion she had found in the middle of the woods. You see, mansions were quite a common sight for her (she lived in one), but this one was out in the middle of nowhere. The only reason she had ventured this far into the woods was for the huge wild blackberry bushes that grew near the ravine. She had been there many times before, but never once had found this place. It was an absolute work of art from the exquisite stained glass windows all the way down to the beautifully crafted oak doors.

Darcy had been taking in the house for a while when a woman opened two double doors dramatically and collapsed on the balcony sobbing. This tore her out of her stupor and redirected her gaze to the person. A dense tree covered the balcony in a thick shadow that no sunlight penetrated, so it was difficult to make out the woman who was presumably the owner of the estate. The only thing Darcy could make out was her pale skin that seemed as if it had never seen the light of day and long, dark hair that seemed to absorb even more sunlight than the tree did. Pale skin was especially rare in Darcy’s town. Everyone was covered in freckles and tanned till their skin resembled the earth, a new fad that people were taking part in. Sunlight was especially hard to avoid in their country, so Darcy was glad that she could frolic in the gardens without a care about her ”social standing”.  A sudden thought pierced her laughter about countless days in the sun with her friends. The dark forest. A pale woman. An appearing mansion. Darcy fled quickly, remembering her father’s stories of the creatures in the woods that could not take a step out into the sunlight, but were brutal killers nonetheless. The only plausible explanation for the house popping up out of nowhere would be magic. Magic that these creatures might possess. Nothing less could conceal and reveal a house that stupendous. When she finally reacher her father’s manor, Darcy cried out to him.

“Father! I found one of those dreadful creatures!” At these words, Darcy’s father’s expression darkened considerably. His brows clenched together as he slammed the book he was reading shut and left it on the side table.

“Did you approach it?” Her father asked. Darcy began to grow worried. Her father was typically a genial man. Not a sentence would go by that he did not use a pet name for her. His icy manner was beginning to frighten her.

“No, father, of course not! I was simply admiring a building near the blackberry bushes when it appeared from inside!” Darcy smiled at her father, hoping her words would melt his cold mannerisms. Instead, it seemed to bother him further. Without another word, Darcy’s father grabbed a sharpened piece of wood and said a quick prayer while holding his necklace. The crushed silver circle surrounded by wood never left his neck. Darcy’s mother used to say it was silly when he told her that it would protect him from the night creatures, but he never took it off, not even when she begged him to after a couple pointed remarks from some of the ladies she had tea with. When her mother died, taken by the same night creatures she ridiculed on a daily basis, her father’s trust in that pendant grew. He even gave one to Darcy that he forbade her to ever take off. The significance of the item was always confusing to Darcy. Her father never explained it, so she never questioned it. As her father made his way to the door, Darcy called out after him.

“Where are you going?” Only a sad look was given as a response to her before he made his way to the forest. She waited for a couple seconds before running after him. He would have no clue how to find the manor and he was not in good shape. After an arm injury years before, he had trouble even holding his book up to read. Her skirts billowed around her as she plunged back into the dark forest, following the path made by his boots.

Darcy had been following her father’s trail for what had seemed like hours. They kept going further and further into the forest until they just ended. There were not any boot prints signaling he had turned or even headed back. Howling echoed through the forest as the sun began to set and Darcy knew she had to keep moving. The night creatures had a harder time following you if they picked up your scent in several places. Trudging onward and looking for boot prints, she grew more and more anxious at the lack of prints. Farther and farther she walked until the sun was completely under the mountains just around twelve miles away from her. The howling started to grow closer and closer to Darcy. Catching a glimpse of fur, Darcy broke into a dead sprint, the search for her father’s tracks forgotten as she began to fear for her life. She could see several of the terrible monsters around her. Most of them had dark fur made to blend into the darkened paths, but she caught a few that had blonde or white fur. Their eyes were flashing and the assortment of colors reminded her just how humanlike these creatures were. Green. Blue. Brown. You would have no way of telling whether it was a creature or a person while they were in their human form. Darcy shivered slightly at the thought.

She was slowing down. Her muscles were completely fatigued after running for so long. The wolf monsters were toying with her. They could have easily caught up to her any time they pleased, but instead they seemed to grin at her labored breathing and slowing stride. Once she had no energy left in her, Darcy was sure they would attack. A light in the distance was the only thing keeping her going. Maybe it would be shelter. Or my father, Darcy’s strength seemed to renew as she ran towards the light. Passing trees and fighting her way through bushes, Darcy gasped for breath as a house appeared out of nowhere. She skidded to a halt as she saw the balcony that had been etched into her brain. Wolves crept towards her on the same path that she had just come through. Snarls reminded her of the imminent danger and Darcy chanced a look behind her at the creatures. Some of them had changed back into humans, beautiful clothing adorning them. They were really quite gorgeous beings, but their eyes had an empty quality to them that was almost hypnotizing and their grins were devoid of empathy.

She turned around and started backing up towards the house. Knowing all night creatures were quite territorial, Darcy hoped that the wolf monsters would leave as she was in another creature’s territory. No such reprieve was given to her and the wolves still advanced. As Darcy backed into what she thought was a wall, a choice was presented to her. Either she could be eaten by the wolves or she could enter this mansion. The woman had not yet proven dangerous, so with a jerk she yanked the doors, praying desperately that they would open. Creaks and groans filled the night, drowning out the monsters’ snarls and Darcy quickly squeezed through the small gap she had created. As soon as she had gotten into the manor, the doors closed with a slam, leaving the wolf monsters scratching at it. Now, all she had to do was avoid whatever resided in this house. Glancing at the doors apprehensively, Darcy noticed them moving slightly. This sent a wave of anxiety through her until a voice interrupted her thoughts.  

“They’ll hold.” A voice said from somewhere behind her. Darcy jumped and turned to face the woman that she had seen on the balcony the other day. This time she was on a grand staircase that led up to a second floor, looking down at Darcy. Backing up, Darcy flinched when she reached the door and realized how little time she had to run. Additionally, she had no idea what the layout was of this manor which would lead to getting lost very quickly. Still, Darcy contemplated whether or not that was a better idea than being in the same general space as the woman.

“Oh, relax, dear. I can just feel your anxiousness. You have nothing to fear from me.” The woman laughed as she walked down the stairs slowly. A wave of calmness oozed from the woman and Darcy found herself relaxing slightly. She could still hear the wolves outside, but their attempts to take down the door seemed to be lessening.

“Who are you?” Darcy asked as the woman drew closer. The feeling of relaxation seemed to be forced on her and it was making Darcy drowsy. The woman laughed melodiously.

“You don’t need to know that, my pet.” The woman smiled, revealing two fangs. Darcy blinked sleepily at this new discovery, vaguely remembering something her father told her about the creatures with fangs.

“Vampires… are manipulators… of feelings and emotions… and are the most dangerous… of all…” Darcy repeated the information out loud that had been taught to her since she was nine years old.

“Not of all, darling. Maybe to you weak humans, but there are many things out there that you cannot even begin to imagine. You missed one thing though. ‘Vampires’, as you humans would call me, are both very polite and not very keen on having their home invaded. You entered without asking, pet.” The forced calmness gently pushed Darcy into a deep sleep as the woman walked back up the steps, not even giving her another glance.