Chapter Text
Sadia sits upright, staring into a world she never knew existed.
The light….the light is … she's never realised that light is thousands of different colours, spinning glittering and coalescing into…. well….. light. Colours she can't even name.
She's sitting on the floor. The floor. It's white, but she never understood white before. She can see every single fragment of colour, whirling and coalescing and coming back together to be ….white. It's fascinating. It's amazing.
And the molecules. She can see the molecules. Her mind is blown.
"Um Sadia, are you all right?"
Sadia realises that she's on her hands and knees with her nose to the floor. She sits back on her heels. Is she all right? She feels tingly, as if her senses are wound up and having a party. Yes, she's all right.
Fareed is gazing at her anxiously. Oh wow. He's ….well, he's incredible. Okay so he's covered in blood from his mouth down to his chest, but the blood is beautiful. His eyes are so green, twin emeralds and his hair is so curly, black and glossy, just like a Bollywood star. How has she missed this?
He's worried about her. Why is he worried? She's never felt better!
"I'm wonderful. I'm amazing…..better than amazing….I've never felt like this before."
Sadia knows that her words are banal, but she doesn't have the vocabulary to describe how she's feeling. It doesn't matter, words are so passe. She doesn't need them anymore, she can project directly into minds. She giggles. It occurs to her that she should probably stand up so she rises to her feet. It feels very odd, as if her body doesn't quite remember what it's supposed to do and feels that there's a better way to do things.
Then she remembers.
"What happened? There was a knife…." Fear and confusion hit her.
"Yes, there was a knife." Armand interjects, crisply. "Fareed, you need to heal that knife wound, it looks nasty and then you need to take Sadia somewhere where…."
"Unfortunately the bathroom is still a mess from…." he sighs. "Earlier"
"Huh, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'll do the cleaning…….oh god…..I feel…"
Sadia's stomach clenches. "I…..I'm sorry, but I don't feel too good."
She's lying. She feels fucking terrible.
"The beach." Armand instructs Fareed. "The water's warm and she'll be more comfortable there Sadia likes swimming. I wish I'd thought of it earlier…..I remember….. "
All talking about me like I'm a baby, Sadia thinks rebelliously.
That's exactly what you are. Armand's thoughts cut in. You're a fledgling.
A whaaaat? Ooooooh yuuuuuuk. Sadia feels as if her liver is trying to work it's way through her intestines and escape her body through whatever exit it can find.
"Now Fareed!"
An span of time later, Sadia lies on the beach panting, looking up at the stars.
She rolls over. Fareed is sitting next to her, watching and laughing. He's actually laughing at her. How dare he!
"S'not funny. Felt ghastly. Fuck, felt like I was dying."
Fareed sighs. "You were. And no, it's not funny. Although speaking as a doctor I've never seen anyone throw up in quite such an entertaining manner as you. I think it's the way you try to be delicate and restrained and totally fail."
"That's mean. I need a shower. Whatever Armand thinks saltwater is not good to bath in. It does horrible things to my skin."
Fareed laughs harder. "You'll have to forgive Armand, his experience is several hundred years old and you don't have to worry about your skin anymore."
Sadia had begun to suspect that.
"I'm not human anymore, am I?"
"No. You're a vampire." Suddenly Fareed is serious. "I'm sorry Sadia. Raglan stabbed you, you were dying. It was our only option."
Sadia sits up and hugs her knees. It's a lot to take in. Her super-charged senses are a distraction, it's difficult to concentrate when her brain is trying to make sense of lights and colours swirling round in the air, things that she's never seen before. Her ears are taking in every tiny noise. She hears a rustle and sees a small, mouse-like creature dart along the edge of the sand, fifty metres away. This is going to take some getting used to.
"I suppose, I should thank you? You saved my life. I don't quite know how to say it."
Fareed smiles. "That's fine. I couldn't let you die and well…" He looks bashful. "I've never done it before."
"Really?"
"Really. Now I have a fledgling."
He looks so much like a proud parent that Sadia wants to laugh, but she supposes that's what he is. In a manner of speaking.
What exactly does that mean? Sadia thinks at him.
No reaction. She frowns and tries again. "Oh, what I am I doing wrong? You can't hear me? Am I not loud enough?" It's noisy. She can hear myriad conversations going on, not quite close enough to make out the words, but if she concentrates…..it's confusing.
"What? No, I can't and you won't be able to hear my thoughts. It's because I'm your maker. Fledglings and makers can't hear each others' thoughts. You'll be able to hear every vampire except me though. You may find it overwhelming to begin with but you'll get used to it."
Sadia shakes her head. It's all a bit much. A couple of hours ago she was trying to inveigle Raglan James into a trap. Now…..
"So what does that mean? That you're my maker?"
"It means that I turned you into a vampire. That gives me a duty to protect and instruct you."
He suddenly looks very serious. Heck.
"Shit, that doesn't mean….does it?"
This is anxiety making. Saida likes Fareed, but she barely knows him, and she's not looking for a partner at the moment. Not a romantic partner anyway.
Fareed shakes his head. "No, don't worry, I have a partner. Think of it more as a mentor/mentee thing. I'll protect you and instruct you."
"Ah, okay." That sounds more like it.
Fareed looks anxious. "There's something we need to do. You….er… you need to feed."
"Um…..yes…" Sadia is hungry, but she's just realised what's involved. Fareed's anxiety isn't helping. He's trying hard to be reassuring, but his words and his feelings don't match up.
He grabs her chin and opens her mouth. Sadia struggles.
"Shit, I thought you were a doctor, not a dentist!"
"Mmmmm no..just checking. Yes, your fangs are through. Run your tongue along your twwth, you should be able to feel them now."
Sadia cautiously follows instructions. Yes, she can feel something - fuck - what was that! Sharp and pointed. She nearly punctured her tongue!
Fareed is frowning, concentrating. "Bad time of night to hunt here, but there's a man up on the road, let's go up."
The man is trying to mend a puncture on one of the hotel bikes. Fareed glances at Sadia. "Can you pick anything up?"
Sadia tries to concentrate. He's angry. He's angry because he'd tried to seduce one of the bar staff, little Natalie. She wasn't having it and he'd got….not really violent..just gave her a little push….god, she was so stupid.
Sadia doesn't need any further prompts. Between the hunger and her fury (fucking hell how dare he assault one of her staff) she's on him. Sheer animal ferocity has her latched onto his neck and she's draining blood in big, angry gulps. It tastes good, She's pulled back to earth by Fareed.
"Sadia, you need to stop now. He's nearly gone, we don't drink the blood of the dead."
Sadia lets the limp body fall. She staggers slightly as she's overcome with the knowledge of what just happened. She's killed someone. Sadia Choudhury is a ….what….murderer? But is that different from eating meat? Isn't she simply a predator, like a big cat? Sadia decides that she'll think of herself as a leopard. Leopards are cool. Savage, fast and glamorous. Shit, what is she thinking of? Doesn't she care?
Sadia combs her mind for feelings of guilt. The only guilt she can find is that she's made one hell of a mess which Fareed is now diligently cleaning up. Sadia Choudhury takes pride in never making a mess and cleaning up after herself. She moves to help him.
"Don't worry, with experience things get easier."
Sadia thinks that it's already pretty easy.
"Are you okay?"
"Is it alright if I say yes? I am okay, but I don't think I'm supposed to be? Aren't I supposed to feel dreadful guilt or something - I just killed someone. And all I feel is not quite so hungry."
Fareed pauses, he's slightly taken aback. "There's "no supposed" to. Every new vampire is different and reacts differently. All it says is that some things….may be easier for you."
"Come, we need to go up to the Villa."
Armand and Daniel are a mess. Literally and figuratively. Both covered in blood and tangled in each other's limbs. They're sprawled over the couch, gazing into each others' eyes and kissing oblivious to what's going on around them. Daniel is combing his fingers through Armand's curls and Armand is clinging to him as if he's scared that Daniel will disappear if he lets go. He looks exhausted. Needy and hungry.
Sadia notes that Daniel looks different. At first she can't work it out, but he definitely looks better, not ill and his eyes….his eyes are violet. She's sure that they were an average hazel brown before.
Shit they're all over each other. No need to ask what's happened here.
"Ahem." Fareed clears his throat.
"Ah the doctor and the Queen of the fucking night," Daniel waves towards them vaguely. "What have you been up to doc? Shit it's make a vampire night tonight, Sam - when are you and Rashid going to get down to it? Get in on the party?"
Sam isn't present, but Sadia can hear him.
"Get the fuck out of it Daniel. We're takin' our time and making plans. Don't want to rush him."
Armand manages to break eye contact with Daniel and look up, bleary eyed.
"Oh Fareed, and….Sadia! How are you?"
Sadia doesn't answer. She's occupied elsewhere. "Will my fingernails stay like this?"
Fareed sighs, "Yes, yes they will. If you cut them they'll grow back. Quite quickly."
"Wow. I'm going to save a fortune in nail bars."
"Fareed, have you explained anything to this poor girl?"
Armand disentangles himself. He pats Daniel reassuringly, whispers in his ear and stands up.
He puts his arm around Sadia and steers her towards the bathroom.
"Come with me."
He feels solid, in a strange sort of way. Dense. Like gold. Sadia enjoyed chemistry lessons and has a memory that gold is one of the dense minerals. She pulls her thoughts back to the present.
They're standing in the bathroom God, it's a mess. This would smell bad to anyone, but to Sadia's new sense of smell it's unbearable. She gags.
"Mmmm, I suppose it is rather unpleasant. I haven't had time to clear up. Look in the mirror. Try to focus."
Sadia stares at herself. On one level nothing has changed. On another level, everything is different. She has the same shoulder length, black hair, but does it look glossier? Thicker? Her skin looks, not sparkly or shiny exactly, but more luminous. Flawless.
And her eyes……Sadia has always thought that her eyes are okay. Good enough. Quite large, wide set and a fairly average brown. Fine, but nothing to write home about.
Now two huge green eyes look back at her. Clear, like emeralds or green glass. With golden flecks. Sadia is entranced, she reaches out to the mirror in awe. "Is that me? Will it last?" She barely realises that she's not speaking out loud.
"Yes, it's you. And yes it will last. How you see yourself now, that's how you will be for ever Sadia. You won't change."
"For ever?" Eternity is for ever. Sadia's struggling with the concept, it's not that she objects…exactly, but it's a lot to take in.
"Think of it as not dying to begin with." Sam's voice drops into her brain. "Easier to cope with that way. No-one wants to die, right? Don't worry, it's always a shock to begin with. And you had no time to think about it."
"Sadia's going to be fine Armand. You should have seen her hunt. She's a natural, a born predator." Fareed smiles proudly.
Sam's head appears around the door. "Sorry to bother you an'all, but we need to do something with Raglan. We've locked him in the cellar, he can't get out but he's making one hell of a ruckus."
Rashid appears behind him. "I don't think that he can break the door down, but we can't leave him there much…….Sadia! You….you…." He's overcome. Sadia is touched.
"Rash! It's still me! I haven't changed that much. I just look a bit different, but it's still me."
Rashid laughs and hugs her. "I know. I'm relieved, I was terrified when Raglan stabbed you….. I thought….we all did…"
"Anyway, you're through it now." He looks around and Sadia can feel him focusing on business. That's Rashid, always professional. "Sam's right. We need to decide what to do with Raglan as a matter of urgency. We can't leave him in the cellar indefinitely."
"Why not?" Armand sniffs petulantly. "Leave him there to starve to death. It's only what he deserves."
Sam shakes his head. "With all due respect that's not going to work. He's traceable to the Island, folk will start asking question. Mindfucking them all would be a big job and probably not a good idea."
Armand doesn't look convinced, but Daniel joins in.
"Sam's right, boss. And if we kill him we lose a potential source. He's a useful route in to the Talamasca's plans."
"How so? We'll have to wipe his memory…."
"Yeah, but we know what he's been doing with body swapping. We leave that there and we can blackmail him."
"He certainly won't want his Talamasca superiors to find that out," Rashid chimes in. "We can use that to get direct knowledge of what the Talamasca are planning and why."
Armand looks unconvinced. "You and Sam can give us that. I still think that Raglan is too much of a threat to allow him to live."
"Well now, that's the thing maître." Sam shrugs. "Me and Rashid, well we'll not be a position to provide information about the Talamasca going forward. We're getting out."
Rashid takes his hand, looking bashful. "And we've got plans….as I think you've guessed."
Armand sighs. "Well I suppose I'm not surprised. And I'm no longer in a position to say anything. You might want to have a conversation with Sadia, Rashid."
"We're off to London as soon as we're through here, Sam's been been talking to his maker."
Rashid smiles proudly at Sam and slips his arm around his waist. Sadia's heart constricts. Bless, they must love each other an awful lot.
"That's a good idea to talk to Sadia, though. Are you okay for a chat Sads?"
"Me…um yes sure."
"Not just at the moment." Fareed intervenes. "Sadia's been through a lot and she needs to rest. I think that we should go back to the hotel now."
Armand nods. "Before you leave there's something I need to ask you Sadia."
Sadia spirals. Of course, he's going to fire her, you can't have a vampire hotel manager,what is she going to do, she'll have to go back to Bradford, except she can't go back to Bradford, what's her mum going to think ….. What will she do……
Sadia finally bursts into tears, it's finally all too much.
Rashid hugs her. "You'll be fine. You'll work it out Sadia you always do."
Armand looks puzzled. He's picked up her thoughts. and this isn't the reaction he was expecting.
"I've neglected the active management of the Island for far, far too long, and I don't see myself spending much time on it in the future. When we are here…well I don't think that I'll be interesting ourselves in management that much." he reaches out for Daniel's hand and entwines their fingers together.
You can say that again, thinks Sadia. It's pretty clear from the expression on Daniel's face let alone what's going on with Armand's hands that they can't wait to throw everyone out and jump each other's bones.
Armand continues, "I need someone I can rely on. Someone who has vision and the ability and drive to realise the potential of the business. It needs to be someone who understands the leisure industry. It needs to be someone who appreciates Night Island and understands all that it is and all it can become. But most importantly it needs to be someone I can trust absolutely."
"Sadia, that person is you."
Sadia is stunned.
"You want me to do that?"
"Of course. Who better?"
Sadia thinks. She can't think of anyone better. Fuck. He's just offered her everything she wanted, all her ambitions. This night has been a lot.
She pulls herself together.
"Thanks. I don't know what to say. Thanks for everything."
She's having difficulty finding words without totally breaking down so she projects her thoughts at Armand - grateful - shocked - awe - scared - happy.
He seems to get it. He nods and turns to Daniel.
"I think that you should go back to the hotel now. All of you." He caresses Daniel's cheek.
"We need sometime to ourselves."
When they get back to the hotel Sam and Rashid peel off, muttering something about Rashid needing some sleep. From the way that Rashid is grabbing Sam's belt and running his hands under his jeans Sadia doesn't think that it's sleep he's needing, although a bed might be involved.
Fareed disappears saying that he needs to find a suitable room for Sadia to sleep during the day - check out the curtains, or maybe he can find somewhere without windows.
The lobby is completely deserted, no surprise at 4am. Even the desk is unattended (Sadia makes a mental note to check whoever let that happen and have a word). She sighs. It was too much to hope that anyone would still be around she supposes.
And then…..she hears footsteps. Supposing that it's Toni coming to apologise for leaving the desk, Sadia turns. And stares.
Shah Rukh Khan.
He hesitates. "I'm so sorry, I don't mean to disturb you, but I find myself in need of some more capsules for the coffee machine - rich decaff. I wonder if…..?
"Oh of course!" Sadia frantically scrabbles under the desk. She grabs a carrier bag left there earlier probably by some member of staff who brought their lunch in it. "Here you go. That should keep you going for a bit." She's given him at least a hundred, that's enough to keep him going for over a month unless he's a serious caffeine addict.
"Thank-you so much. That's very kind of you."
"It's my job."
"It's still kind."
He turns to go. Sadia seizes her courage.
"Excuse me, I don't want to be a bother. But could I have an autograph?"
Shah Rukh Khan turns and smiles. "Of course you can. Do you have a …?"
He gazes around.
"Here." Sadia grabs a small promotional pad and pen (Night Island branded) off the desk and thrusts them at him. She very firmly ignores the sniggers she can pick up from Sam and Rashid who are lurking in the office. Preternatural senses, she is beginning to learn, can be a right pain.
"Whose name shall I use?" "Sadia please. Yes, Sadia. I'm the Night Manager." She's more than that, now, but Night Manager will do.
"Very good."
He writes carefully and hands the pad back to her. "Well, if that's all, I'd better get to bed. And thank-you very much again."
"Thank-you so much." Sadia looks down at the pad. It says:
To the lovely Sadia, Manager of the Night
All my best wishes, Shah Rukh Khan x
Sadia sighs. Twenty four hours and so much has changed. She's still not quite sure that she believes it all, but at least she has time to come to terms with it all. A lot of time.
She wonders what she's going to tell her mother. Not the truth, that's for sure. She's going to have enough trouble getting it across to her mother that she's not going to get married and have children. Fareed may be a doctor, but sadly she's not going to be introducing him anytime soon. Imagine.
"Hey Mam, this is Fareed he's a doctor and he's kind of….." Kind of what? No that's not going to work.
In fact, Sadia doesn't think that she'll be able to see that much of her family in the future. She considers this, and decides that she can live with it.
She walks outside onto the terrace and gazes out across the Island. The Mall, the Casino, the sea…..so many ideas and so much time to implement them. Sadia smiles.
In her mind, two amber eyes, glowing lava.
"Welcome Sadia Choudhury, Ruler of Night Island."