Chapter Text
His heart stopped at the sudden sight of the figure in front of him.
The young vampiress had appeared out of the shadows in the blink of an eye.
Eyes wide open, he jumped off his bed and hit his back against the wall right next to it. Cold sweat running across his body.
The young lady was covered in darkness, only her crimson eyes could be seen.
Michael was breathing heavily, his mind racing and his heart at the border of collapse.
He couldn’t finish processing what was going on when he saw a hand reach out towards him, he closed his eyes, spooked at how quickly everything was occurring with no time to comprehend it in the slightest.
He felt her cold hand touch his cheek… only to gently caress it.
Michael was at a complete loss at this point. He didn’t understand what was going on.
When he opened his eyes, he felt like an idiot.
Now that his vision had adapted to the dark and the vampiress had gotten closer to him he was able to clearly see her face.
Her red eyes that had previously evoked a feeling of terror in the young man, now were only reflective of a deep sadness.
Neither of them said anything, Missi continued to sweetly stroke his cheek and Michael simply sat in silence.
After some minutes had passed and he had completely calmed down, Michael put his hand on Missi’s to make her stop. She stopped moving it, but it still rested on his cheek.
“Missi.” Said Michael “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Said Missi in a voice completely different from the one Michael had gotten accustomed to, it was weak, one in which a powerful sorrow could be felt, yet it was as gentle and sweet as her caress.
After a moment of silence, Michael responded.
“Missi, I’m so sorry I got so scared of you, I… I don’t know what got into me, I… Just reacted, you know? You appeared out of nowhere, right in front of me, in the middle of the night, and I… I didn’t know how to react. I recognized you, but it was all so abrupt that I-”
“Michael.” Missi interrupted him with a strong yet tender voice. “I know what you are trying to say, yes? I get it, no need to worry. It was my fault for making such an entrance, I knew you were going to get scared but it didn’t matter to me. I needed to see you.”
“See me?” Michael was confused at her response. “But… I went to the castle, many times, why didn’t you appear on any of those occasions?”
“I know.” Missi couldn’t keep looking at him in the eyes. “I saw you all those times, I watched your every movement from the shadows...”
“Than… Why did you never show up?”
Missi sat silent for some minutes. Her hair covering her face.
Finally, she spoke.
“I… I was too embarrassed by what had happened to show myself, I still am indeed, but, seeing as you didn’t come back... I decided to follow you.”
“Wait, so… Did you follow me all day?”
“No, I left my castle not so long ago.”
“So, how did you find out where I live?”
“I could smell you.”
“What?!”
“Yes, you… well, every human emits a smell that vampires can perceive. I have gotten specially used to yours, so it wasn’t hard to find you.”
“Okay… that’s… interesting.” Michael didn’t know how to feel about that.
A silence lingered between the two but was quickly broken by Missi.
“Michael, I missed you.”
“Missi…”
“I missed you so much.”Missi’s voice started cracking. “I know we just met for a day, but… you touched me in a way. I was so lonely... I needed to see another person, I needed to talk to someone else.” Missi was at the brink of tears, directly looking at Michael in the eyes. “Please… don’t leave me.” She said, almost beggingly.
“Missi” Responded him calmly. “I will never leave you.”
That’s all she needed.
Missi threw herself into Michael. She hugged him tightly and let her tears run down her face.
She broke down, she couldn’t take it anymore, she couldn’t stand the loneliness no longer.
Michael returned the embrace, holding her closely to him.
Both remained like this for a while, but neither of them cared. They not only wanted this, they needed it.
Missi’s cries could be heard echoing across the room, it reminded Michael of when they had first met.
After a while, Missi’s tears slowly stopped and all went silent. She reluctantly moved her head until both of them were facing one another.
Missi’s face was a mess, the trails her tears had left behind were still visible, her eyes were entirely red and her lips swollen by how long she had been crying.
But, she felt better, much better than how she was feeling before, she was feeling good, even… happy a bit.
She smiled at Michael and he smiled back.
“Thank you Michael, I… I really needed that.”
“No problem Missi, it’s okay, I’m here now.”
“Michael…” Said Missi after a little pause, blushing a bit. “I know it’s going to sound weird but… can I listen to your heart?”
“Emmm...” The question had grabbed Michael by surprise, though he quickly regained his composure, it wasn’t the weirdest thing he had heard her say after all. “Sure, no problem.”
“Thank you.” Said Missi excited.
She gently pressed her head against Michael’s chest and listened. It was there, the wonderful beating of his heart. Missi grabbed Michael and pulled him closer to her. She needed to hear it better.
She loved his heart, the sound it made, it was simply… Marvelous.
“Eh… Missi, you okay?” Asked Michael a little concerned.
“Never become like me.”
“Eh? What-” He was interrupted mid sentence when she grabbed him by the collar of his pajama and pulled his face towards her.
“Please Michael, continue being human, continue being how you are, I… I could not fathom to think of a world where you are not you.”
“Missi…”
“Please don’t let me hurt you Michael! Don’t let me put my fangs on you, don’t… don’t let me kill you!”
Tears were running freely from her eyes again, so much so that her voice cracked a bit, she took a pause before continuing
“Please, please don’t let me hurt you! You are all I have now… just… please… don’t leave me.”
Missi hugged Michael again, holding him even tighter than she was before.
“I want you with me, but… at the same time I don’t want to make you like me, to contaminate you like he did.”
“Missi” Said Michael in a sweet but firm tone. “I must say… I’m confused. There’s… so much to unpack here, but first, let’s calm down for a moment, yeah?”
He looked at Missi with a kind and soft smile and gently caressed her hair.
“Do you agree?”
Missi looked up at him for a second, before burying her face on his chest and nodding.
While she was letting go of all her sadness and feeling his warmness, Michael was worried. Her last sentence in particular had worried him a lot, what did she mean with “To contaminate me like he did?” That “he”... He had never thought about it before, but it made a lot of sense. Obviously she wasn’t borned a vampire, while she was missing something or someone had turned her into this.
After some time, Missi let go of Michael, leaving a stain of tears on his chest, and both faced each other.
“Are you okay now Missi?”
She nodded.
“Good. Now, tell me…” He thought for a moment what of the many things she had told him to start from. He figured he would start from the one it had worried him the most. “Who is this person that you said… contaminated you?”
“Eh?” Missi was a bit confused by Michael’s inquiry.
“You said that you didn’t want to “contaminate me like he did.””
Missi froze at his statement, she remembered now what she had said.
“Yes, I… I remember now.”
“So… who was this person?”
Missi took a deep breath, just the mere thought of him made her rage.
“So, this “person” I was referring to, is the one that turned me into this.”
Michael was shocked, but it was the answer he was expecting, after all, which other way would have her transformation even happened?
With caution he asked:
“Did he… bite you?”
“Bite me?! Ha! Like I would get that disgusting worm put his hands on me, let alone those horrendous teeth!”
Now Michael was at a complete loss.
“So... what did he do exactly?”
“Where to start even?!” Said Missi, rolling her eyes. “That bastard tormented me so much since I lay foot on that goddamn castle, he wouldn’t stop chasing me around! He was simply toying with me as he pleased, using me for his twisted desires. The son of a bitch even tried to…””
Missi’s rage by this point was getting the best of her, she was even trembling because of her hatred, eyes flashing a dark crimson red.
“Missi…” Said Michael worryingly, a bit of fear escaping through his voice. “Are you okay? You don’t need to go on.”
His voice made her regain control of herself.
“Sorry Michael, I’m sorry. Just… let me think a bit, yeah? I... need to reflect on where to start even.”
She took a moment to ponder on where to begin describing all the crazy events that had transpired, there were simply too many things to tell.
Finally, after organizing all her thoughts, she resumed her story.
“So… one day, I went to the castle where you found me, it was late, real late, I should’ve been sleeping by that point, but… I wanted some time alone I remember, away from everybody else.”
Missi made a pause, her recollection of everything prior to her transformation, apart from key moments, were fuzzy.
“I… I don’t know how far away I wander from my home, I just know that I ended up where I did and… you are not gonna believe what happened.”
And so she went in great detail describing everything that had transpired since she lay foot on that cursed place, she described the terror and helplessness she felt, how that tall creep wouldn’t leave her alone, how they played a sick game of cat and mouth throughout the entire night, how, when all hope seemed lost and fighting looked futile, she came out with an idea by the beams of burning sunlight pouring through the curtains edge and how she managed to come triumphant in the end.
To say that Michael was astonished or dumbfounded was a gross understatement.
“So…” Said Michael after his head finished comprehending what Missi had just told him. “I got many questions now, but, the one that’s itching me the most is… did that staff turn you into… this?”
Missi thought for a moment before answering.
“I… think that yes.”
“Okay… I see you don't have it with you.”
“I actually do.”
“Where?”
Missi reached behind her back and from under her dress the cane appeared with it’s iconic bat shaped top.
“Well… that explains why I felt something on your back when I hugged you.”
Missi chuckled.
“Missi, do you ever leave that thing?”
“No, I don’t.”
“I see… think you could?”
Suddenly Missi tensed up at Michael's question.
“Why do you ask?” She asked sharply.
“Missi… for what we know, that cane is the most likely reason why you turned-”
“What if it isn’t?” Interrupted Missi, her grip of the staff tightening.
“Missi, please, don’t get on the defensive. Listen, you know that I want to help you, right?”
Missi didn’t answer, she remained still for a moment before nodding.
“Good, you know that I only want the best for you, right Missi?”
She nodded again.
“So, look, I understand that you may be attached to that walking stick, yeah? But, and please, listen to me carefully, it may not be doing you any good.”
Missi didn’t answer, she only stared at Michael’s eyes, holding her precious belonging close to her.
Michael didn’t know what to do. He knew that if he tried to take it by force, she may attack him or leave. It was simply not possible for him to obtain it like that. He didn’t know as well if he grabbed it what could happen to him, it could easily turn him as it did with her.
He could only try to make her reason, but she seemed to be making deaf ears to his pleas.
“Look, Missi.” Said Michael feeling defeated. “I’m not going to take it from you, yeah? Don’t worry about that. I don’t want it. Just… I would just like it if you could leave it, you know? I don’t know if you are going to do it or not, most probably not, but…”
He was lost for words, he was so sure that anything he said wouldn’t work that he couldn’t come up with any words to try to win her trust.
“Okay, let’s be sincere.” Said Michael after pondering for a while. “I want you to be human again Missi, I really do, why? Because I care about you, and I know that we don’t know each other much, but it doesn’t take too much trust to want to help someone else. This whole town has been looking for you for so long, your parents spent countless sleepless nights trying to find you, and here you are! You can go back to them! You can return to your normal life. But you don’t want because of that stupid cane!” Michael rage was starting to boil up, after all, it seemed that a lots of good people efforts would go to the trash because of that stupid thing.
Silence formed between the two, Michael stopped looking at her when he finished talking. His eyes were becoming watery.
“Michael?”
Missi’s voice surprised him, as he didn’t expect her to talk even. He looked at her. She no longer had an expression of hostility, instead, a much more worried one was in its place. Also, she didn’t have her staff tightly clutched between her hands; she still held it, but slightly away from her.
“Michael I… I want to see my parents again, I want to go home, it's just that… I don’t know if I can let go.”
Michael was caught completely off guard by this, he tried to say something but his words fought each other in his mind and wouldn’t decide which would come out.
“I’m… scared you know?” Missi continued. “It’s not only that this… “thing”, this…. vile… repugnant… object has me under it’s control, as you can see, I can fight it… sometimes… but, that’s not what’s most important, what is it’s the fact that that creep is still out there, and I know that if I drop my guard down, he will be back, so-”
“Wait.” Michael interrupted. “Wasn’t he turned to ashes?”
Missi remembered that he hadn’t told him THAT part of the story.
“Oh yeah…” Said Missi nervously while getting slightly flushed. “About that…”
Missi told Michael what had happened some time after her first encounter with this monster… needless to say, he was beyond confused.
“I… truly don’t get you” Said Michael putting a hand on his forehead. “I… I have no words for it.”
“Sorry.”
“Look, Missi, I’m… I’m completely out of my game on this, yeah? I truly don’t know what to say. This whole situation is just… too much.”
“I know… I’m sorry if I burned you out with all my problems, I… never got to think about how serious all this was until, well, you came along… guess that’s how I was able to cope with all this, simply… not thinking about it.” Missi made a pause before finishing his sentence melancholily. “I was stupid.”
Michael wanted to lift her up and remind her that she wasn’t stupid, that it was a simple mistake and he would be there for her; but even he couldn’t handle all of what Missi had thrown at her and, being sincere, he wholehearteadly agreed with her last statement.
He just could not come with any sincere way of sounding nice. He could completely understand her first predicament, but what she did after? Revive the disgusting fuck that had not only tormented her for a whole night and been an indirect reason for her transformation, but also almost raped her? She was being an idiot, as simple as that, no amount of boredom or need for revenge could justify bringing back that thing.
Michael remained silent for a while, organizing his thoughts and checking his emotions, after a while, he finally spoke back.
“Missi, listen, this is much more complicated than I imagined, and it wasn’t easy to start with, but now, with this fellon possibly chasing you around…” Michael took a pause, he couldn't believe what he was about to say. “Maybe… It’s better if you don’t let go of that thing.”
Missi didn’t respond, she didn’t feel happy that Michael had agreed to let her keep her cane, she didn’t want it herself either; but Michael could see why she needed to have it apart from it having her under it’s spell.
“Missi, I know that you need that walking stick for your safety, but… could you, for just a moment, let go of it? Even for just a minute, wouldn't you like to be human again?”
She remained silent. Michael knew his proposal would not be approved, but he could keep trying he thought, even if he himself realized it was a lost cause.
Suddenly, a soft thump was heard over the bed mattres and Michael looked up at Missi.
There she was, her skin no longer a white pale, her eyes no longer irradiating with red intencity, her hair no longer purple, her ears no longer pointy.
It was her, the real her again.
Michael was left bowled over. He slowly extended his hand toward her and she grabbed it. She was warm once again.
“Missi.” Said Michael on the verge of tears. “Is that you?”
Missi smiled softly.
“It’s me Michael, the real me.”
Michael broke down. He hadn’t cried like this in such a long time. Missi embraced him and held him closely.
Being a human for just a couple of minutes, was something she could accept.