Blood Ties

Chapter 8: Getting Ready to Impress

Colette awoke from her late evening nap to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of bacon frying. Much to her surprise, there was a box sitting on the chair next to her bed, the one that normally went to the vanity.

She got up and groggily opened it, feeling more asleep than awake. Much to her surprise, inside of the box was a black silk dress, hose, and bright red stiletto heels. There was a note on the box, and she rubbed her eyes in order to read it, squinting in the dim light of the morning.

'Hey, hope I got your size right. If not, let me know and I'll give you the receipt so you can return it. But you're going to meet Arabella soon, and you'll want to look your best.' It was signed by Nora, and Colette gasped a little as she came to the realization that she'd be meeting someone she hoped would become her benefactor.

The dress was knee-length with a sweetheart cut on the bust. It also had lace sleeves attached. The shoes were genuine Louboutins, and the makeup was high end as well. Scarlet lipstick, dark eyeliner, and hair accessories.

It was an outfit that she could only dream of acquiring in her previous life, so she wondered how much Nora had paid to get it. She quickly shut the door she had left open in the night, and undressed to try on the outfit.

It fit perfectly. She examined herself in the floor-length mirror, watching as the skirt spun with her movement. The accessories looked high-end as well; White pearls, matching earrings, and golden bracelets that criss-crossed over one another.

“Nora, you shouldn't have, " she murmured, feeling just a bit guilty about all the lengths that Nora was going through to help her, a total stranger. She twirled one last time before the mirror, wondering how she could pay the brunette back. A knock on the door stirred her from her thoughts.

“Come in," she called out, “It's not locked." She heard the door open after that, and then silence. She turned to see who it was, tucking hair behind her ear as she spied Nora standing there, looking slightly flushed.

“Oh, it fits. Great! And you look killer in it, " said the brunette, unable to hide her coy little smile. “I'm glad. Uh, breakfast is ready, by the way."

Colette saw an opportunity to do her own teasing, so she took it. She strode up to Nora and leaned over, brushing her lips against each of her cheeks and fluttering her lashes shut, replying with, “Thank you," right against her ear.

Much to her delight, it worked like a charm. Nora blushed bright red and made a noise in her throat, pulling away and trying to hide the flush that had creeped all the way across her face and onto her ears.

“No problem. Um. I'll be downstairs, " Nora said a little hastily, and shut the door behind her. Colette laughed to herself, changing back out of the dress and into her normal clothes. Today, she wore a green t-shirt, black high-waisted shorts, long black stockings, and green flats.

Once she was dressed and ready, she walked down the ornate stairs and into the kitchen. She saw omelets with bacon and mushrooms and cheese laying on plates, one for her and one for Nora.

She wondered if Nora had cooked them, or if she had her own personal chef. Her question was answered when she spied a person in a chef's uniform stepping out back to have a cigarette.

She sat at the table, and waited for Nora to enter the room. It didn't take long for the brunette to walk in, having changed her outfit as well. Now she was wearing black skinny jeans, a loose gray t-shirt, and black sneakers. She seemed to have showered as well, as her short hair was still wet when she sat across from Colette.

“Good morning," said Colette as she took a sip of the coffee provided to her, which she had added sugar and cream to.

“Good morning, " Nora replied, taking a bite out of her omelet. “Did you nap well? I know I slept a lot in my first year."

“I did, " said Colette. “Is that normal, needing less sleep than a human?" She had more questions, and Nora was all too happy to answer them.

“Yes, " said Nora. “To put it simply, you need less sleep because you're slowly becoming less human as the days go by."

Colette thought for a moment. It had been three months since her death, and it made sense to her that she was becoming more and more vampiric. There was less of her that seemed to align with her human life day by day, and she was okay with that.

Not like she had any choice in the matter, but she had always been resilient. “That makes sense, " she finally answered Nora, falling into quiet contemplation as she ate.

The two women were done with their food soon enough, and Nora stretched out a little before asking, “So what do you want to do today? I assume you're not ready for the sanguine court just yet."

“Oh good lord, no, " said Colette. “I need to know what I'm up against before I go anywhere near there."

“Then today, you study, " Nora announced with a nod. “Use my library. I need to go call my parents and … re-arrange something." Colette rose a brow.

“Okay. Thank you, Nora."

The two parted ways, and Colette wandered towards the library in the villa, picking up books that were in English so that she could read them. Her French was still rudimentary, but she was willing and eager to practice it some more.

She picked out a book with the title 'Understanding and Conquering the Courts' by Delia LeFleur and began to read.

'The sanguine court was established in the year 1702 by the elite houses of France and England,' she read, 'Mainly, the houses Berry, Gauthier, Bardot, and De la Fille were the first to rise to fame and fortune.'

'Each of the house leaders have been vying for power and land since the 16th century, and though the De la Fille house was murdered during the French revolution, the rest of them kept quiet and to themselves in order to thrive.' Colette turned the page.

'As it functions today in 2022, the house leaders (of which you can find their profiles on pages 102-110) have been ruling for 320 years or so. Though some of them are rumored to be even older than that, reigning since around 1500 or so.'

She was both impressed and frightened by their longevity. She kept reading after turning to the profile section, staring at the portraits the author had included.

'Eveline Berry' read the first profile. Eveline had to be Nora's mother, for they looked very similar. Except that Eveline had longer hair and sharper eyes, she had a classical British look to her. Her eyes drooped lightly, her nose was small and petite, and her mouth was small and decorated in crimson lipstick.

'1703-current day' was the caption of her profile. 'Eveline is known for her reign in the British sect, and she currently lives in London with her husband Hector Berry and her four children, Heather, Matilde, Nora, and Olivia. Heather will become the house's headmistress when her mother retires.'

She looked at the next portrait, which was of a redhead wearing a deep crimson dress, violent red lipstick, and an overall red aesthetic to her. Her hair was unnaturally red, and the caption said 'Mistress Arabella Bardot. 1500 (estimated)-current day.'

'Arabella Bardot has no children, though she does have very many women who study underneath her. She is known as the Sanguine woman due to her blood red hair and vicious attitude.' Colette shivered as she looked over the photo one more time, then moved onto the next portrait.

'Madam Francine Gauthier. 1500 (estimated)-current day.' As she gazed at the portrait, she felt a strange sense of dread inside of her gut. She was an old woman with stark white hair, wrinkles underneath her eyes and on her forehead and cheeks, and a cold gaze underneath her large black glasses.

She looked very stern. Her nose was sloped downwards and her eyes were dark red, like Nora's. But there was no warmth to them, and her heavy-set frown made it look like she hadn't enjoyed having her portrait taken.

So this was her grandmother. She lingered on the portrait before reading the caption.

'Madam Gauthier had ten children during her human lifespan, though not all of them made it to adulthood. The ones who survived remained in France, though a few of them rebelled against the house and moved elsewhere.'

'Madam Gauthier will abdicate her house title when she is dead, to quote her directly. It is unknown who will become the house leader after her passing.'

There was only one portrait left, so she looked over it.

She saw a cheerful looking woman with rosy cheeks and bright red eyes, pale skin, and blonde hair, done up into a rather 16th century-esque hairstyle.

'Lady Babineaux De la Fille, 1605-1789.' The book continued, 'Lady De la Fille and her family were slaughtered by hunters during the French Revolution, citing them as a noble house that was thriving off the backs of the poor. There are no survivors of the De la Fille family (that we know of.)'

How sad. That an entire bloodline could be wiped out … but she kept reading.

'The De la Fille properties were overtaken by the Gauthier house after the family was slaughtered by hunters.'

There was a little more to read, but she had seen enough for now. Closing the book, she leaned back in her seat. The world of vampires was complex, and surely it varied from country to country.

There was a lot she was going to have to learn if she wanted to impress Arabella Bardot.

And she was finally ready for it, no matter what it would take. She was ready, so she stood, and went to find Nora.

Only to find a note that said 'I'm going to London very quickly, I'll be back in a few days. Yours, Nora,' attached to the fridge.

Well, now what? Colette took time to relax, finally, though her head was spinning with the information she had just read. Little did she know, everything was going to change, and fast, like a wildfire tearing through the countryside.