Crazy and the Beast

[badyogi]

Harper watched as Rain departed, feeling a sort of exhaustion settle over her that she'd never felt before. Her mind was tired, and was begging for sleep. But she smiled at Lucian. For him, she'd stay up all night. She opened her mouth to tell him the complicated story of her family, but paused when he rose to retrieve the large book. The table groaned under its weight, and Harper's eyes widened. Quietly, she scooted closer to the edge of the couch, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees while she shifted through the pages. The book was old, and dusty, and the pages felt like they might crumble under her touch. She shot Lucian a glance, worried she'd destroy such an antique item, and flipped the pages as carefully as she could.

Thirty or so pages in, she saw his face. Doctor Turner. Although, that's not what the writing in this book said. Carden, from the black fortress. He looked different. His blonde hair was longer in the photo, and he was dressed much in the same way Lucian was when she first met him. But his eyes, those endless pits of blackness, were the same. The book stated that he was well over 1,000 years old, he had a preference for "young blood", and he was largely immune to silver.

"That's him," Harper said, her voice hushed. Just looking at the photo made her anxious, as if he could somehow see her through the pages of the book. She pushed it towards Lucian and stood, moving away to wrap her arms around herself. "Can we go lay down?" She asked, her eyes on the window that was full of moonlight. "I really just need to close my eyes for a bit.."

 

[Scripted Away]

"Carden...!", Lucian hissed with a demonic voice.
He looked at Harper and smiled apologetically, before getting a small black book and a piece of chalk out of the next shelf.
"Give me five minutes", he said, while picking up a canister. It looked like there was water in it. Next, Lucian took off a rosary that had been hanging around his neck, hidden under his shirt, and took a quick look into the black book.
His voice lowered to a silent mutteringamuttering as he held the rosary above the open can.
"Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferiori, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent." He dropped the rosary into the water and spilled it into several smaller cans. As his eyes turned Amber, the gargoyles appeared. Each one of them took a can and they immediately started to spill the water in front of ever window.
"Holy water. Just to be sure", Lucian explained, while he started to draw Pentagrams in circles of weird symbols around the fireplace and in front of the entrance door. He didn't talk much during the process of hiding a few wooden stakes here and there, and drawing more symbols.

Carden... he knew that vampire. A tracker. His senses were unbelievably goods, especially his sense of smelling, and once he had bitten someone... that one was marked. A tracker would rather die than let a victim get away.
Apart from that, Carden's father had been the one who had told the other vampires about his family. Half vampire, half Angel.
And he knew for sure that he would try to end what his father had started.

Suddenly, a thought struck him like a thunderbolt.
"It's a game...", he whispered to himself.
Turning to Harper again, he looked at her with deep sorrow in his gaze.
"That's why it was so easy to get you out of there. That's all part of his own set up hunting party!"
Just a few seconds later, a dozen armors with axes came marching in, their metal feet clanking on the stone floor horribly loud.
"If you guys sense Carden- behead him", he ordered, before wrapping one arm around Harper's shoulders protectively.
"That should be enough to keep him away for now. I mean, I would also place some garlic, but that's nonsense."
Winking, he pulled get into a warm hug.
"Let's go to bed then", he mumbled softly.

 

[badyogi]

Harper watched in silent awe while Lucian worked to protect to the mansion. She felt safe with just him, but she knew these extra measures would help keep Dr Turner, Carden, away. What he said made sense... The vampire that had been feeding on her for the last decade wasn't about to just let her go without a fight. It sent a tremble of fear through her to think about that monster knocking down their door, looking for blood. She let Lucian pull her into the hug, trying to let her mind rest. Things would be okay... right?

A bit later, the two were entangled in bed, snuggled deep under the heavy blankets, shrouded by the curtains that surrounded the bed. Harper lay her head on Lucian's chest, and closed her eyes. After a long while, she finally fell asleep, sighing deeply as she did. That was where she stayed throughout the rest of the night and most of the next day. Only when the sun started to set did she wake up again, feeling like she'd just awoke from a much needed hibernation. She realized, laying there as she slowly roused from her deep sleep, that it was the first time she'd slept through the night in years. No night terrors, no monsters waking her to feed on her blood. A relief greater than anything she'd ever felt before settled over her and she smiled. Things would be okay, for real. The would find her family this evening, or the next. Carden, if he was stupid enough to come around, would be destroyed. And then Lucian and Harper would be free to live their lives in peace.

A couple hours later, after showering, eating, and packing, they were on their way to Auburn. Harper looked over at Lucian as he drove, smiling softly. "Thank you for doing this for me," she said, her voice light. "It means more than I could ever tell you."

 

[Scripted Away]

Lucian smiled softly. He barely had to concentrate on the road, thanks to his overly good senses, so he could just hold Harper's hand and think while driving.
He had spent most of the previous day on that as well, while Harper had been sleeping on his chest.

So there was Carden.
He still had a bone to pick with that dirty monster.
Then there was rain, one of the purest souls he'd ever met. He would have no chance against Carden, and Lucian didn't want to take the risk of leaving him there. If that vampire knew how to kill ghosts, his friend would be nothing but a punching bag for him. So he had taken rain with them. That way he could also make sure Harper wouldn't be all alone during the days.
And then there were Alex and Minuet. He had asked them for help as well, just in case. Not only because of Carden. He still was an outlaw, and out there were more than one vampire who's not hesitate to take the chance to kill him. They all were still pissed because of what had happened in mid-age...
Now, the probably weirdest group ever sat in Lucian's black limousine:
Rain was watching the lion king on the tv with big eyes. He probably had never really grown up.
Alex, a 20-year-old witch with fiery red hair and a love for black dresses, sat there and practised a few of her spells (which had almost costed him a new mini bar and her an eyebrow,but whatever)
And Minuet, the demon with wild black hair, shining golden eyes, black wolf ears and one black and one white wing, was emptying the little fridge.

He could have also called Duke, the fattest werewolf ever, to help as Well, but that guy rather was a candidate for a stag party, not a mission to kill a crazed out vampire with silver-resitance.
"No problem", he said smiling. "I'd do everything for you. And if we get to kick Carden's butt, perfect! We all still got a bone to pick with him..."

 

[badyogi]

Harper mostly sat in silence during the drive. She liked holding Lucian's hand and was constantly tracing the back of his knuckles with with her fingertips. The group in the backseat made her a little nervous, mostly because she didn't know them, but also because supernatural creatures in general were still hard for her to process. Real, or delusion? She had to keep checking with Lucian if this was reality, or if she was dreaming.. or worse, hallucinating.

After a long while of being quiet, she glanced back at the three of them, each in their own worlds, and then over at Lucian. For what seemed like the hundredth time, she said, "There's a man with dog ears and wings in the backseat."

 

[Scripted Away]

Lucian chuckled softly. Although his eyes were grey, they seemed to have some sort of glow In the dim light of the limousine's interior.
"Yeah, that's Minuet. He's a demon." He looked at Harper from the corner of his eyes and smiled at her calmingly.
"Don't worry, you're not imaging them, they're really here."
"Totally!", the demon called grinning and immediately was death-glared at by Rain.
"Ssshhh!"
A deep frown formed on Minuet's face, But he didn't say anything. He however seemed to calm down as the witch softly lay her hand on his knee and smiled. "Ehhh, Lucian? ", she said after a while. "You do know that there's a snake in your car?"
But Lucian just chuckled. "That in fact is a hydra, so mind the head, please. I also got a gremlin in the trunk but it just doesn't go away." Smiling at Harper again, he yawned for a second. "I'd suggest a little rest soon. I'm starving..."

 

[badyogi]

Harper nodded at Lucian's words. "Right." She knew that, they'd met at the mansion before they left. "A snake?" She asked when the other girl brought it up and she turned to peek over the seat into the expanse of the limo. "Is it safe?"

When Lucian said he was starving, she turned back to look at him, her stomach growling as if on cue. They had been on the road for awhile, and he was right. They needed to stop somewhere. At the next set of highway signs, she pointed. "There a motel up ahead, and a pancake shop." She loved breakfast foods, and the idea of waffles and strawberries made her stomach growl even louder. Then she bit her lower lip and looked over at Lucian again. "Um. You're probably going to need more than that, though, aren't you?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Lucian went Silent for a while.
He wanted to keep his thirst as low as possible, since he was about to be around a whole group of humans soon, but animal blood was no alternative. It wasn't about the blood itself, but about certain enzymes in the blood that his undead body couldnt produce anymore, and those weren't in the blood of animals. And he couldn't sense a hospital nearby.
"Yeah...", he sighed. "Guess I can hold on for about a week more, but i'm getting more dangerous with every passing hour...", he growled sinisterly. "And i won't bite. I won't do that to anyone."
He looked through the windscreen and growled silently, his eyes turning completely pitch black for a second. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly and caused it to groan under his fingers. "It's okay, it's okay..."

 

[badyogi]

Harper's eyes widened as she watched the change roll through Lucian. She could feel memories of this happening from before, when she was hungry as a vampire, but seeing it now, in this life, was different, worrisome, and kind of scary. She stayed quiet until the limo had pulled into the parking lot of the motel. With a look at the others in the backseat, they stepped outside and Harper slid across the seat to sit on Lucian's lap. It was a tight fit, with the steering wheel pressed against her back, but she didn't care. Cupping Lucian's face in her hands, she smoothed her thumbs across his cheeks. "Look at me," she whispered, bringing his gaze to her. "You're alright." Leaning forward a fraction, since that was all the space there was between them, Harper kissed Lucian softly, her lips trembling against his. "Tell me what I can do to help."

 

[Scripted Away]

Lucian Held his Breath and painfully clenched his teeth, his hands squeezing the steering wheel tighter, until it had dents where his fingers were.
"You wanna help me?", he mumbled concentratedly.
"Then stay away from me until I found something to drink."
He softly, but eagerly pushed her off his lap and rushed out of the car.
His black wings appeared on his back again and he raced off into the night sky.
He couldn't stay near a human when his vampiric nature was almost making him suck her out like a cup of coffee.
The scent of fresh blood suddenly hit him like an anvil and he completely lost himself.
Everything turned black...
...and the next thing he was aware of was that he was bending over the lifeless body of a young woman.
He felt ice cold.
Once again, it was painfully clear...
"...i'm a monster..."

 

[badyogi]

Harper had slid out of the car after Lucian, and she looked up just in time to see him disappear into the black sky. Her eyes widened and she looked at Minuet, Rain and Alex, panic in her voice. "Shouldn't we do something?!"

Meanwhile, Carden sat in his car, looking through the blacked out windows at the house in front of him. The girl's house. He'd been parked out there for the last two days, knowing sooner or later she'd make her way home. He stayed there until morning, when his urge to feed couldn't wait any longer, and he was forced to drive away. He'd be back later that night. Surely by then, she would show her pretty little face and he could finally finish what he started. She would be his, for all eternity.

 

[Scripted Away]

"I think he needs some time for himself", Alex, the witch, said calmly. "He just wants to protect us from his thirst until he found a way to satisfy it."
Rain nodded at that.
"He's no danger for me and Minuet, we're the wrong species, but you and Alex are, well, food." For some reason, he chuckled about that, and earned a death-glare from Minuet.
"What?! I'm just imagining them as steaks!"
"I sure as he'll won't let that happen", Minuet grumbled, one arm protectively wrapping around Alex' shoulders, who softly kissed his cheek. "It's okay honey..."
Turning to Alex, she smiled softly.
"I'd suggest one of us will stay with you so Carden won't get near You, and the other two gather some information about where that scumbag is. Any preferences who should stay with You?"

 

[badyogi]

Harper didn't care much about Carden in that moment, she was too worried about Lucian. "Uh..." She looked at the three of them, shrugging. It didn't make much of a difference to her, but she said. "Rain, I guess." He was the one she knew the most, and without Lucian around, there was no way she could be sure she wouldn't start to believe Minuet would eat her face. Hugging herself, she looked up at the sky where Lucian had disappeared, worry filling her stomach like little butterflies. "Come back," she whispered under her breath.

 

[Scripted Away]

"We'll go find a library then ", Alex said with a calming smile at Harper. "With a bit of luck we'll be able to find something that can help us against Carden."
"We could also ask Seraphina", Minuet suggested. "She might know something and..."
"Do you really think it'd be a good idea to bring her near a vampire, after what happened last year?"
At that, the demon fell silent.
While the two walked off, rain smiled at Harper.
"Okay, guess it's only the two of us now. Do you want breakfast?"
He pointed at the pancake-shop.

 

[badyogi]

Harper nodded. "Very much." She watched Minuet and Alex walk off, then turned to walk with Rain to the pancake shop. "Who is Seraphina?" She asked once they were inside the restaurant, seated in the back corner booth away from prying eyes. And the eyes were prying alright. Fresh out of the asylum, Harper still looked like a little waif of a thing, thin and pale, and her eyes hollowed out. And Rain was, well... a ghost. A few minutes went by, and when she realized no one was coming to take their order, Harper frowned, leaning across the table to talk to Rain in a low voice. "I think we're being ignored."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rain leaned over the table as well and traced the pattern of hundreds of rings on the wood with one fragile, see through finger. They were Probably from cups and glasses.
"Seraphina is an angel", he explained. "A few demons tried to free the devil to bring the apocalypse last year. Minuet, Alex, me, Lucian and our friend Jim came to fight them. Three angels came to help as well, Macon, Skyler and Seraphina. She's very afraid of vampires, though, since one killed Minuet. Her sister Avia sacrificed herself back then to bring him back."
He looked around for a second, frowning.
"That's because they think you're insane. They think you're talking to yourself, because they can't see me..." He got up and smiled slightly. "Wait a second." He disappeared out of the shop, and soon, a young man came in, brown hair, blue eyes... And Rain's soft voice.
"Anna, I'm so glad you called me!" He dropped down on the seat where rain had sat and smirked.
"Those Bluetooth-earplugs are awesome. Though it sometimes looks like talking to yourself." Chuckling, he waved at a server, and the girl immediately came over, looking at him as if he was a rockstar or so.
"Yes? ", she asked in a flirty voice. The guy smirked and winked at Harper. "I'm not eating. But my friend here would like to order, Please."
The girl turned to Harper. "...yeah? What can i bring you?"

 

[badyogi]

"I am insane," Harper muttered, when Rain disappeared out of the restaurant. When the good looking guy walked in and dropped into the seat across from Harper, she blinked a couple times. "Definitely insane..." She whispered under her breath. She ordered a huge breakfast, not noticing the way the waitress kept looking at Rain. Or the guy who at least sounded like Rain. When she walked off to place the order, Harper leaned forward again. "How did you do that? Are you like... possessing someone right now? And how come I could see you before, but they can't?" She had a million more questions than that, but she figured those two were the easiest to start with. Hopefully.

 

[Scripted Away]

Rain chuckled softly and nodded.
"Exactly that. Luckily for this guy, he'll have forgotten about it within the next five minutes after I'm out of him again."
He motioned at everyone around and leaned over the table again, so nobody could listen to their conversation.
"Some people have a more keen sense for the supernatural than others. Kids usually are very open for it, but it usually grows out later. See that man over there? He saw me, and he knows that I'm possessing this man right now. But that girl there- no chance. She doesn't see me as a ghost. That's how it works. Their brains change what their senses are telling them, so their limited minds can cope with it. They'd, for example, see Minuet as just a weird guy, completely overlooking his wings and ears. But a Few people are different. Luckily you are one of them, probably because you have been a vampire in your previous life."
A huge grin appeared on his face.
"Look at this!" He slipped out of the man's body, who slumped together as if he was unconscious and transformed into a beautiful, snow white eastern Dragon. The room almost was too small for him, several people were walking through him, but nobody noticed...excepting that man rain had mentioned before, who now sat there with huge eyes and pale as a piece of chalk. Rains massive Dragon head swing around and rested on the table in front of Harper with a huge grin.
"Told you they're blind", he giggled.

 

[badyogi]

That made Harper think. She wondered if that could be why she had seen so many dark things lurking in the shadows over the years.. because they were, in fact, really there after all. She opened her mouth to ask Rain this, just as he transformed into a beautiful, large dragon. Dragon.

Harper was actually pretty damn proud of herself in that moment. She didn't pass out. Or go screaming from the restaurant. It had to be some sort of breakthrough for her. She glanced in the direction of the terrified man, knowing just how he felt. But then she patted Rain on the nose, shaking her head in awe. "You are incredible."

The waitress brought Harper's food, walking through the dragon's stomach to set the plate on the table. She looked at the unconscious boy, then at Harper, brow raised. "He's fine." Harper said. "Just taking a cat nap."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rain went back to his human form and made a funny face at the waitress, who of course didn't see him. Instead, the man was still pale and staring. Even for an open human, that was a rather exaggerated reaction. He surely hadn't seen a ghost for the first time, with so many of them around.
A few minutes later, the man came over to them.
He ran his hand through his grey hair once, before looking at rain.
"...Nicolas...? Nicolas Gabriel Gale?"
The ghost's eyes widened immediately.
"Do I know you?"
"Kind of...", the man whispered. "Did you really shoot yourself?"
"... well let's say without me, I would be thirthy-four by now." He narrowed his eyes and half stepped in front of Harper protectively. "Who are you?"
"Thomas Gale", the man whispered, and Rain's eyes changed immediately from blue and distrustful to entirely white and hateful. "Leave."
"But..."
"I said LEAVE!" The ghost, who normally was as firm as the wind, pushed the man away from him... about eight feet far. "I hate you dad. I hate you, and I swear if i ever see you again...!" He turned around to Harper again, taking a deep breath. Immediately, He went from angry man back to sweet boy and looked at her with an apologetic glance in his big blue puppy eyes. "I'm sorry you had to see that", he said sheepishly.

 

[badyogi]

Harper watched the exchange between Rain and the man, her eyes growing wide. What were the odds of them running into his father all the way out here? She felt so sorry for him and wanted to pull him into a hug. "It's okay," she said, shaking her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about." She looked around, realizing that the entire restaurant was now staring in their direction. And why wouldn't they? A seemingly crazed man was talking to himself, and then went sprawling across the room. Harper bit her lip. "We.. should probably go." She said to Rain, sliding out of the booth.

---

"Flatline! We're losing her!" The paddles came down on the girls chest again, pumping electricity through her, but to no avail. The long monotone of the monitor told the doctors she was gone. "Time of death," one of them said, looking at the clock on the wall. "10:26pm."

---

Léa looked down at her body in disbelief. Denial. She blinked, staring for a long moment. This wasn't happening. She looked at the doctors, who were all leaving. A nurse stepped up to cover her body with a sheet, and that's when Léa started screaming. "NO! No, you can't just leave. DO something!!!" But no one could hear her. She screamed louder, shrieking at this point. "Someone help!!!"

 

[Scripted Away]

Rain sighed silently and nodded. Just then, he heard the jarring of tires on asphalt, followed by a crashing sound and Minuet, who came rushing into the shop.
"Harper, Rain, move! Alex has been ran in by a car!"
While Rain already ran outside and into the ambulance, Minuet grabbed Harper's hand and pulled her with him into the car.
Luckily it wasn't a long drive, and Alex didn't seem to be wounded too badly.
As the car stopped in front of the hospital, Minuet stayed by Alex' side until he was told to wait in the waiting room. Slumping down on one of the plastic seats, he watched rain, who walked around restlessly.
"I'll have a walk", the ghost announced after a few minutes and slowly wandered through the white corridors. As always, nobody saw him. He knew he should be used to that by now, But in fact, it still bugged him...

 

[badyogi]

Harper sat next to Minuet in the waiting room. The sight of Alex's blood on his clothes sent a chill through her. "What happened?" She asked, wondering how someone could just run over a person. By now, would Lucian even know where they were? She bit the inside of her cheek, worrying. They all needed him. He was kind of the glue holding their little group of misfits together. Harper barely knew these people and she certainly didn't know how to help them. Sighing softly, she reached out to lay her hand over Minuet's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "She'll be okay, I'm sure of it."

---

Lea didn't know what to do. She'd finally stopped screaming, but the panic in her hadn't subsided yet. If anything, it was getting bigger by the second. She'd run into the hall to call for help, but no one came. No one even looked her way. Hurrying along, she tried asking many different doctors or nurses to come with her to the room, but still, nothing. Finally, she met the gaze of a young man. The first one to actually look up at the sound of her voice. He wasn't dressed like a doctor, but she didn't care, maybe he could help somehow anyway. "Can.. please, I need help." She said to Rain, her eyes pleading.

 

[Scripted Away]

Minuet looked up from the floor and at Harper, an unexplainable expression in his eyes.
"If she hadn't pushed me away I'd be in her place now...", he whispered. "It's... It's all happening again!" He was breathing heavily, his eyes full of fear and guilt. His hands, that rather were the claws of a raven, clenched to fists.
"That can't be what Macon meant with...!"
Just in that second, a good-looking silver-haired young man appeared in the waiting room. His bright blue eyes had the color of aquamarine. His light blue flannel shirt underlined his muscular upper body... Just the angel wings on his back were kind of confusing.
"What I meant is that you are a good guy, Min."
The tag on his lab coat introduced him as Dr.Gale.
"She's stable. Just a few broken bones and a laceration. We'll keep her here for the night just to be sure."
Looking at Harper, he smiled softly. "Good evening." He frowned slightly as His eyes started to glow entirely white. "Oh oh...", he muttered silently, and rushed off again, calling "get me the scalpel!"

Rain had watched the girl since she had appeared down the corridor. He had reacted just the same when he had returned as a ghost, noticing that he was invisible to most.
His soft, deep blue eyes filled with pity as he noticed the bitemarks in her neck.
He'd have to approach it carefully of he wanted to tell her she was dead.
A few people walked through them, blind as always.
"How can I help you? ", he asked with his calming, soft voice.

 

[badyogi]

Harper had been about to ask what was happening again, confused by Minuet's words, but then another man walked up, cutting her off before she got the chance. He also had wings on his back, and Harper had to wonder if she was going crazy. Again. It seemed all of a sudden, everyone around her was like a creature from a supernatural novel. "Hi." She said very quietly when the man, Dr. Gale, greeted her. After he turned and hurried off again, she looked at Minuet, trying to give him a smile. It didn't really come off that reassuring, and looked somewhat like a grimace. "See? He said she's stable. Come on." Harper stood. "Let see if they'll let us in to see her."

Lea glanced behind her, pointing down the hall where she'd come from. "There." She looked back at the boy, only then seeing that he wasn't completely... solid. She blinked a couple of times, a frown wrinkling her brow. "I.." Slowly, she looked down at her hands, and realized she could sort of see through them. Fat tears welled up in her chocolate brown eyes and spilled down her cheeks in hot trails. "What... what's happening?"