Of Fangs & Fins

Chapter Twenty

SR: The Lumineers - Ophelia

twenty.

Marina.

"It's been four days already, when can I see them?" I begged Chris, trying to keep up with his walking pace. I was growing more agitated as each day passed. I had no answers to where my friends were and no one let me see Eryn nor Ally. I was getting cabin fever, living in a house full of vampires. 

Tomorrow was the party that they suspected Flynn and Sydney would be at, but it still could be a hunch. A small voice in my head kept telling me they were already gone.

I desperately didn't want to succumb to that voice.

"I've told you until I see that your blood is completely out of their system, then they're not getting out of there. They need to dry out and start all over again," Chris explained, perhaps tired of me being so persistent. I kept asking the same questions each day. He was carrying a stack of files, something that made me want to laugh.

Chris and Lance acted so humanly, if I didn't know they were vampires, I wouldn't even speculate.

"And what's the plan for the party you insisted Flynn and Syd were at?" I asked, taking the steps by two just to stand side by side with him. He stopped abruptly, turning around to face me. I took a step back, intimidated by his size. 

"Yes, Marina. Don't worry about any of that. Lance and I have that covered. You aren't getting anywhere near that party. You're too much of a liability. Clan parties are infested with vampires," He shook his head, his dreads moving with him. 

I sighed, hating that all I have been doing is sitting back and waiting. Daddy always told me my biggest fault was being so impatient. This was no different.

"Then what the Hell do I do then?" I asked, trying to find a purpose among the household. The only people I felt remotely friends with were Chris and Lance. Everyone else avoided me and I wasn't sure if it was because they didn't want to hurt me or they thought I was going to hurt them. Each night, Sagan would glare at me until I got uncomfortable and headed to Eryn's room. 

All in all, I really missed Eryn. I wore the clothing she had on hand here and the mint smell of her engulfed me. It comforted me like a hug, something that I wish she could do in person. 

"You wait and let us handle it. Mermaids don't belong in a vampiric world," Chris deadpanned, walking away from me and heading towards his office.

I sharply exhaled, wondering what I was going to do to kill time. I adventured all around the estate, discovering the woods they had in the back. There was some lake that I opted to sink my scales in. I was surprised it wasn't frozen over. I even started helping Anika with the garden that was in front. I couldn't tell if she liked when I was there, but she didn't say anything in protest when I would be there. I tried talking to her, but her replies were occasional grunts here and there. She would leave without saying a word and that when I felt that she was tired of me. 

I descended down the steps, plopping down on the bottom step and putting my chin in my hand. I peered into the living room, watching Amelia as she and Denali were playing some sort of game. They were waving a Wii remote around, matching their movements to the screen. It was interesting to see vampire children. I didn't think much of them. I always figured vampires were old and scary. However, seeing Amelia and Denali hopping around and laughing, it only made me more sympathetic to what they had to go through to be here.

Sagan passed them, dressed to kill. She wore leather pants skin tight to her body and a double-breasted canvas jacket that went all the way up to her chin. Her boots made soft thuds against the carpeted floor. She glanced at me for a second before making her way to the front door. 

I perked up. "Where are you going?"

"Going to go and save your friends," Sagan snapped, "with your inconvenient timing, I'm forced to do recon."

I stood up, a furrow on my brow. "Hey, I don't know what is your problem with me, but I haven't done anything to you."

"Your presence is the whole problem. You think you can just cozy up to Lance and Chris and they'll take you in?" Sagan shook her head, "you're not wanted here. Eryn and your friend are down there because of you. Remember that." Sagan gave me no chance to rebuttal. She opened the door slammed it behind her, leaving me dumbfounded and angry.

I turned around, heading towards the steps again.

Before I could reach the stairs, Anika was in front of me, her eyes intensely meeting mine. She motioned her hand to me.

I raised a brow. "What? Why?"

Anika rolled her eyes and motioned her hand again. She turned around and I followed hesitantly, wondering why Anika wanted me to follow her. 

Silently, I followed her around the stairs and into the kitchen.

We reached a metal door that had a padlock on it. I scanned around and touched Anika's arm. "What are you doing?"

She took out a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, glancing at me before she walked into the dark corridor behind the door. I followed quickly behind, grabbing onto her sweater since I couldn't see. The hallway that we were walking down was dark and cold, with metal doors lining each side.

A shiver went up to my spine, and this was giving me an unsettling feeling. 

Why did I follow her?

Anika stopped in front of a door. It looked newer than the other doors with a rectangular window at eye level. She pulled the window slot down and motioned for me to look inside. I peered inside and saw a figure sitting in the middle of the room. I instantly recognized them as Eryn. She was throwing a handball against the wall across from her. There was a small pile of blood bags in the middle of the room, all empty. 

I stumbled backward and whirled to face Anika. "Is she okay?"

She nodded, walking behind me and opening another window slot. I looked through that one and easily recognized the figure as Ally. She was curled up in a corner, sleeping. "Ally," I whispered, not knowing what I should do. I was afraid she was going to be the same as she was last time I saw her. 

Ally's figure moved, facing me. With a speed that my vision couldn't pick up on, she was in front of me. I was glad the door blocked us, especially when her face contorted in anger and her fangs lengthened. I gasped in shock, my heart shattering as she jammed her fingers into the small window. Her usually beautiful green eyes were replaced by bright hot red ones. There were bags under her eyes now too, and it broke me to see her that way. Her usual soft ebony tone was paler than usual. I could see her skin peeling, something that would usually happen when a mer didn't go into the water. I didn't know if she was still a mermaid, but this could mean she was.

Was she in pain?

I never knew what a vampire looked like when they were drying out, and it frightened me to think about Eryn also looking like this. Although... Eryn looked okay.

It was if Ally didn't see me, all she wanted was my blood. 

My heart hammered in my chest as I backed up. Anika shut the small window, flinching as the sounds of banging and shrieks grew louder. She glanced at me for a moment before shuffling behind me.

The screeching sound of metal sounded and I turned around, watching as Anika opened Eryn's door. I grasped Anika's arm. "What if she's like Ally?"

Anika shook her head, heading towards the side. I sharply inhaled as I saw Eryn slowly get up, using the wall as support. She staggered out of the doorway, looking as malnourished as ever. Eryn raised her head languidly, her red luminescent eyes meeting mine. "You know that I don't do well in small spaces," she seethed, glaring at Anika. "Why is she here? Get her away from me." 

I was relieved to see she wasn't like Ally. I couldn't have both of them like she was. Depravity was rolling off Eryn in waves, sending a sliver of fear down my spine.

 "I wanted to see you," I blurted, taking a hesitant step forward, ignoring how my heart was a jackhammer against my ribcage. Even in the dim lighting coming from the cell she was in, I could still see the dark circles under her eyes. Her cheekbones were slightly sunken in, more so than they already were. "Tomorrow Chris and Lance are going to that party to find them. I can't spend another day alone in this house."

Eryn raised her head. "So that's what today is." She closed her eyes and when she reopened, the red was gone.

"It's my fault they put you in here," I mumbled, looking down at the ground for a moment. 

Eryn shook her head. "Not yours. It's mine." Her grey eyes were dark and stormy, reminding me of home during a thunderstorm. There was a quick flash of pain in her eyes before she darted her gaze away from me. 

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, silently praying that she would come out of here. "Eryn, I'm alone. I know you feel as if you don't trust yourself. But I forgive you."

She humorlessly laughed, shaking her head. "You're standing in front of me and all I can think about is the blood coursing through your veins. I can hear how scared you are." She folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. There was an edge to her voice that let me know that she wasn't kidding. 

The hollow sound of her voice slightly scared me. I could hear my heart beating and I cursed, hating that my body was betraying me. 

She stared at Anika for a moment. "You brought her down here?"

Anika nodded, a stern look in her face. It was as if they were having a conversation through their eyes. Eryn rolled her eyes and slid her gaze over to me. "I can't promise you that it won't happen again. Being near you, its... too much."

Part of me wanted to turn around and forget I even asked her. I stared at the ground, hating that I felt as if it was my fault that she was in here. I hadn't seen her for days and this was not going the way I wanted it to go. "I need you."

Eryn rolled her eyes. "No, you just need someone to save your friends," she said harshly, "Lance and Chris will get them. Once they do, you should all go back to the water."

Anika smacked the door Ally was in. Ally responded by pounding against the door. Eryn paused, mulling over what she was going to say. "Ally would stay here. She can't go back with you."

I frowned, ignoring the flash of hurt that came after Eryn's harsh words. "If Ally stays, I stay."

"Did you just hear that? She doesn't even notice that you're here. She only wants your blood," Eryn explained. 

"I'm staying," I snapped, tears pricking my eyes. 

Eryn briskly walked past Anika and I, leaving me to wonder what was going to happen with us. As much as I feared her that night, I craved it so much more. I hated that deep inside, I wanted her to bite me again. The feeling was so intoxicating. 

A flash of remembrance slid across my mind of when Ally bit me. I had a taste of how painful a vampire bite could be. Eryn's bite was strange, she made it enticing, leaving me in a fit of pleasure and wanting more. I didn't know what to do with these feelings inside me.

Perhaps I was the one addicted to her.