After the burial we lived together as if in a dream world. He portrayed his cousin wonderfully and managed to sell all of his artwork, except the painting of me. Soon it became apparent that it was time to move on, not only were the townspeople starting to show their disdain and fear of me, but Alexander could not create new works of art in a city where they thought all his art was sold. I also spoke of Dierdra’s descendent to Alexander and he agreed to search for her with me. We packed all of our possessions into a cart and decided to move on, the day that we were to leave I was in for a frightening surprise.
“Antigone!” a male voice screamed from the open door. The voice was unfamiliar to me, I ran into the other room to confront the man. Standing before me was an older looking gentleman dressed head to toe in frilly clothes that were not of this time.
“Who are you?” I questioned him. Before he answered or gave me a chance to move, he flew at me, clasping his hand around my throat and pushing me up against the wall, lifting me a foot from the ground.
“Why are you wasting your time here? We have been waiting for you, to complete us and I find you here playing house with a pitiful man unworthy of someone of your stature.”
Angered by his treatment of me and his disdainful remarks about Alexander I managed to pull the man’s hand from my neck, shoving him across the room. “You are one of my brothers?” I asked unafraid of him now. “Who are you to come into my home and demand anything from me? I did not ask to be part of any faction, did not ask to be looked to as a leader. I have found what I wanted and I will ask that you leave me.”
The man attempted to storm at me again but Alexander had come back inside to retrieve me so that we might leave. Seeing the stranger, he flew at him knocking him into the wall inches from myself. “Are you okay Antigone?” Before I could answer, my brother threw himself backwards knocking Alexander to the floor.
“You are nothing to me, I will not hesitate to have you locked away little one.” He advanced towards Alexander and managed to grab his flailing arms holding them tight he lifted him from the ground and moved towards the door. “If you desire this one Antigone, we can bring him with us; he will make a useful drone to our pack.”
“I do not care about your or your plight; I only wish to be allowed to live my life.” Grabbing my brother’s arm I pulled him off of Alexander and twisted him around to face me. I was treated as a mere woman all too frequently in my life, I am afraid at this point I was unprepared for a fight with a vampire many years my senior. Honestly it is fuzzy as to how Alexander and I managed to break free, but I remember running through the streets and into the fields to hide as we watched Alexander’s studio and our cart burn in the night.
It was many days before we reached another suitable city to call our home. We lived off a few creatures we managed to find in the fields, Alexander’s thirst for blood amazed me, and it seemed he always needed so much more than I did. We meandered into the city at night and took stock of where it would be best for us to find a place. Having grown accustomed to luxury with Victor I immediately started searching the vast villas owned by wealthy merchants around. Alexander, unknowing of the superiority of vampires looked for a vacated shack we could fix up for ourselves.
We set about setting up our new home as our own, acquiring the supplies for Alexander to ply his trade. I managed to fix the one room shack into a bearable residence with a touch of hominess that I was stunned that I was capable of doing. We resumed our life of simple pleasure. During the day we played the respectful citizen and neighbor, at night we toured the streets finding those appropriate for our feasts and of course there was the pleasure we took with each other. It seemed to intensify each night and was at the most intense the nights Alexander took more blood.
During the days I often found myself at the market taking in the people, observing who would fit into our nightly walks. It did not take me long before I was wandering into the part of town occupied by the wealthy merchants. I strolled along hiding any amazement I might feel for their grandiose homes. It did not take me long until I found one that caught my fancy, I was pulled by it, and I needed to live there.
I took to walking past the house daily taking in the activities, later I would come to realize that I had this routine for a little over five years. I would follow the servants from the house, to the market and back to the house to determine the routine of the house. From what I could see the house was only occupied by the rich merchant and his wife, both were fat beyond belief, it was apparent that they let their greed get the best of them. Memories of Dierdra and I working in a house similar flooded back into my head along with thoughts that if I lived in a house like that again I would be able to use the vast resources inside in my search for Dierdra’s child.
“Alexander...” I started one morning I consumed my morning meal, I did note that Alexander’s food sat completely untouched. “Don’t you wish for something grander than this?”
“That is what I am trying to build for us by painting and selling them my love.” His face remained sullen, something was on his mind, I should have asked but I was too obsessed with owning that house.
“Alexander, there is a house not too far inside of town; I’ve been watching the man who lives there. The house would be perfect, and it would be an easy acquisition, they hardly keep any servants and there are no children to worry about…”
“Antigone, you cannot be thinking what it is you are thinking? Drinking blood from an undesirable is one thing, but to go after the wealthy? That will only get us caught, feared and hunted.”
“It is the way of our kind; Victor opened my eyes to that. We live longer, should we not have all the luxuries?”
There was no convincing him, he merely turned away from me and walked to his easel where his painting supplies sat. Annoyed at his lack of desire for the same things as me I went out for my daily walk. When I reached the market I noticed the woman I learned was the servant at the villa I most wanted. I walked behind her, making sure to keep my steps light and my shadow unseen. The bundles she was carrying I could tell were a burden to her and when she dropped one I saw an opportunity and I took it. “Let me help.” I called out, coming out of the shadows to her side quickly.
“Thank you.” her voice was barely above a whisper. We chatted, or I should say, I chatted some as we walked back to the house. I mostly talked about the weather and the exuberant price of fish at the market that day. When we reached the door she moved to take the package from my arms. “Oh I insist, let me help you inside with that.” I followed her into the servant’s quarters and into the kitchen where she deposited the packages.
“Thank you for your help, would you like a cup of ale for your troubles?” The young woman was sweet and when I really looked at her face I noted that Alexander would probably have painted a portrait of her.
“Please.” I spoke looking at the door I felt would lead to the main part of the house, the part in which I would find the master and his fat wife. With the woman’s back turned I walked out the door and took in the sights of the painted tapestries and exquisite rugs. The inside was truly as beautiful as the outside. The windows were large and many were painted to make a colorful display as the sun shone inside. A sigh of contentment escaped my lips.
“Miss?” I heard a voice come from behind me. The portly master of the house himself was coming towards me.
“I was just admiring the wonderful delights of your house.” I smiled politely assessing if he would be any real danger. “It will do wonderfully for me and my companion.” I could feel my smile become twisted.
“I think it is time, miss, that you leave from where you came and never return.” He turned to escort me out and that is the moment I jumped on him sinking my teeth into his thick neck. It was the largest man I had ever drank from before and I admit I had some difficulties draining him, not to mention the fattening taste of his blood almost made me gag, it was too rich for my tastes. The slight scream that escaped his lips before he died altered the pretty little maid who let me inside. She rushed into the room where I was and seeing her master dead on the ground screeched. In one quick step I was at her side, as tempting as it was to break her neck, for such a small, meek woman her scream was most annoying. I knew Alexander would get some delight from her; I dragged her to a chair, forced her to sit and knocked her unconscious.
I did not have time to tie her up as her screams altered the fat woman that lived there. I could not stomach the thought of drinking the blood from her plump neck, when she was within reach I merely reached out and broke her neck. It too early for other servants to come running. I would release them later, if they left the city immediately and without any problems for Alexander and I. Before leaving I tied up the young maid so Alexander’s present could not escape.
Pleased with myself I ran back to the shack where Alexander sat in the same position I left him in that morning. “Alexander, come with me, I wish to show you something. I think you will be most pleased.” I pulled his arm and we moved through the streets, the smile on my face was large and I was excited to show off the power of our kind. We deserved the house.
“Antigone, what is this?” He asked me, not expecting an answer he already knew what to expect. I pulled him inside, over the bodies of the old owners, we would clean up later, and showed him the young woman, now awake, and I saved for him.
“For you darling, to paint, to drink, to do whatever it is you wish.”
Alexander took in the mess around him and turned towards me, anger apparent in his eyes. “Antigone! You killed these people for their house?” He was outraged, I did not understand.
“We deserve to live here, why should we live like peasants when we can have whatever we want with no one to stop us.”
“It’s not right, that’s why!”
“So we should live in poverty our entire lives, however long we live?” Victor’s teachings held onto me deep, but the desire to find the missing child with the wealth this house would provide was a stronger pull.
“I cannot live like this anymore.” Alexander ran his hands through his hair.
“What do you mean?” My heart leapt with fear, I knew what was going to happen before it did but he was my first love, my first successful turn, I was attached beyond any measure.
His eyes wandered to the woman struggling against her binds, fearful of what she saw, fearful of what would happen to her. “Antigone, I cannot, I just cannot be with you any longer. I thought this was what I wanted, I thought I could but I feel all my creativity has been drained. You have been so obsessed with this house, with obtaining this house, I know you have, that you have not noticed I have not created one new piece of art since we came here.”
“You have only been like this a short while, give it more time, learn to live and it will come back.” I pointed to the girl. “Paint her, drink from her, the creativity will come back I promise.”
“Do what you must to me, but I cannot abide taking homes from people. Killing for a house Antigone, I did not believe you would even go that far again. I thought I was enough for you, that living with me was enough.” Grabbing the woman’s binds her pulled them off of her and as soothingly as he could tried to assure her that he would not harm him and would not let me either. “Let her go Antigone.” I watched as the maid ran from the house, tears streaming from her eyes. I stared at this man that I gave up my destiny for, this man that made me feel like I never had before and did something I would never do again, I pleaded with him.
“What about our plans? The search for Dierdra’s child? Selling your art? Our future plans, all of them? Can you easily just throw those away?”
“Five years Antigone, five years have gone by, you have not once searched or made an effort to search for that child!” He yelled at me. He stood there, I think he was prepared for me to destroy him, I think he wanted it then as much as he did later but I could not bring myself too. The rage inside me was pulling at me, demanding my body that I end his existence but I loved him and could not do it; I did not want to lose him for an eternity. I turned and left him standing inside the villa. I do not know what happened to him until the time he came back into my life, I thought he changed, thought he came to terms with who he was but that was not to be the case…
Author's Chapter Notes:
Whoa where did I come from!
