"Ironically, my real parents were the victim of Casper's hunger as were the two that he assumed were my parents. In the same village, I lived as a human child and there was visited by Casper and his two brothers. A century before, I was a lively seven year old child who loved to do all the things that children do. I had heard stories of vampires from my older siblings and they struck fear in me, keeping me from sleeping at night. One night, screams awakened me and I ran to the front of the little shack. I saw fire through the windows and I saw father in the hands of some strange man...there amongst the flames. Another man held my mother in his arms and had his face buried in her neck...now, I know, he was drinking her blood. When they sensed my presence, they came for me...straight into my home and picked me up. I remember ho they doted on me about how cute I was. They thought it humorous and both enticing to look upon my childlike innocence. I was horrified and sobbed in their grasp."
I watched Patricia's face change as she told her story. I felt the pain she felt at losing someone she loved. But the coldness in her eyes was the surest emotion I could feel and see. Patricia hated Casper and she wanted to destroy him.
"We must kill him now, Betty." Patricia looked up and shrugged away the air of reminiscence form her face. "We must strike and end this. I am finding it harder to mask my thoughts from him and even almost impossible to hide my immortality. I feel him sqirming and trying to figure out what is going on in our circle."
I moved to her and dropped to my knees. She backed away and the sound of her hair brushing against her back unnerved me. She no longer wished to touch me at all. There was no child here, only a short feind who wished to annialate those who gave her torment.
"Patricia, can you at least finish your story for me...please." I reached out to stroke her face and this she allowed.
"They bit me, they took turns taking my life from me and they laughed all the while. My mother lay at their feet, half dead, and sobbed for me. She reached for me, this I will never forget. My mother was so beautiful."
"They finished her off and then started to fight. I was barely aware of what was happening but It got very violent between Casper and his brothers. Apparently, they fought over who was to finish me and who was to loot the village. As the altercations insued, Tedrifer, Casper's brother, cut Casper across the face with his claws sending him down onto the ground on top of me. I remember his crushing weight on my little body and I remember something else. I remember the taste of vampire blood in my mouth as Casper screamed and spit in anger. The more they fought, the more they fell upon me and bled into me. I felt it in my eyes, my mouth and almost drowned on vampiric blood. The cut and bit each other and healed repeatedly. Not once did they pay attention to what they were doing. Finally Casper's brother Simson took me from the ground and finished me off. Then there was darkness."
Patricia looked down at her tiny hands and sighed. I could see that she was both sad and angry. I tried to read her mind but it was a stone wall. I could only guess at what she was thinking. Joseph returned from the shadows and crouched by her side.
"Madame, would you care for rest now? Do you need more subdtanence to remain warm and livid?" You seem pale again."
Patricia looked at JOseph and smiled. "I no longer need to hide, my darling." She reached up and pulled his face to hers kissing him lightly on his lips. "We must strike him now!"
Casper stood in the corner of the room seperating himself from the shadows. As he pulled from from the darkness, he smiled. His face showed revelation and humor.
"I see how you have tricked me little one...or old friend." Casper smirked and looked down toward the little brown haired angel.
Patricia smiled and spoke "I see no point in making such statements or giving any silly speaches. I think we should just get on with it. I see no reason to draw this out...I want you dead, 'father'.
Casper hissed then laughed. "And how do you suppose you will accomplish such a task with such.....little legs." Casper howled and held his stomach. He was oblivious to the silhoettes forming outside the little shack. He didn't even pick up the brainwaves from such creatures which might do him harm.
"My little legs have nothing to do with what I am capable of doing to you." Patricia tilted her head and continued. "I come from a place that lives with the supernatural as an everyday occurance, in fact the supernatural is quite natural to us. I have a present for you, Casper."
At that statement, the door flew open and bodys shambled through the threshold. They were putrid rotting things which moaned and grunted as they stepping toward us. The flesh barely clung to the bone but they moved none the less. Their eyes were filled with some strange light that both me and Joseph gawked at.
Casper turned and made some choked noise then backed away from the shambling bodies. Two then four then six shambled through the door. The mass came close to me but never made any indication that they noticed me at all. I pressed my dead white body against the wall and watched. Patricia hid one hand behind her back and fingered some funny shaped thing. I moved round the room to get a better look at what she had in her hand; a closer look and I saw that it was a small doll...an ugly one with shaggy brown hair. She squeezed the doll harder and shook it. Casper's expression changed and he backed away almost falling into Patricia. As one of the corpses reached toward him, he did fall and land at the little girl's feet. Joseph watched in horror as I did. Patricia spat in his face and spoke some language that I did not understand.
"Patricia, what is the meaning of this? Can we not do without such disgusting displays of power, my dear child?" Casper was scared no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He floundered and pushed against the ground but something held him down. "What? I cannot move!" Casper grew angry and glared at patricia.
"No, you have killed your last child, maker, master, father....killer." Patricia had him right where she wanted him and she bent to attack. Her little fangs burst through Casper's scalp as her free hand grasped his neck. Casper spun and slapped at the corpse nearest to him and pulled at Patricia's chocolate brown curls. She growled and dropped the little ragged doll onto the floor. She pounced on Casper again and sunk her teeth into his neck. Two of the corpses pulled at Casper's legs as he kicked. Casper screamed and beat at Patricia's face.
I felt myself move toward the crowd of undead frenzy. I had no control of my own and I felt her in my head. JOseph moved with me and took hold of one of Casper's arms. He bit down into Casper's wrist and began to drink. I fell upon him and bit down into his chest.
Before long, Casper stopped moving and the crowd of corpses fell into eatin him. Darkness came for me and I welcomed it.
"I found myself in the village of my childhood, the one where he killed me. I stayed there for months, feeding upon the sick and the wastes of the town. A couple took me in and cared for me. I guess you wonder how I fit in with the humans, how i passed for human to begin with. Well, my dark skin was always a shade or two darker even when I did not feed...so you can guess, that if i was filled with fresh blood then I was almost as human. The fresh blood would flow inside me and keep me livid. I can lock you out completely if I want....putting a wall around my mind, and this I taught Joseph when I made him. And you wonder how I came to perfect this gift...I learned to mask my thoughts years ago because of my weaknesses. You see, to others I am a child and being a child...small stature, and small hands...I have to learn more abilities in order to feed. As with the cripple or the fatherless...I must learn basic survival skills to compensate for the inability to grow taller or larger. I found others as I am and they taught me how to mask my thoughts. I can virtually become non existant If I wish it so. I have become a being of strategy. And with this being said...this is my plan for you.
You are mine...I will not mistreat you, nor will I slaughter those you love. You can pretend that I am your daughter if you wish...but I will disappear and come and go as I wish. If anyone is to answer to anyone else...it will be you to me...as with JOseph. If you find it amusing, You two can become my father and mother and we can move about feeding as a family."
"But make no mistake...I am no child...and If I choose, I shall disappear forever. I let Casper bring me to you because I felt your pain at losing your family, Betty. I am sorry for your loss. If you wish it, I can end your suffering."
I looked at Patricia and smiled. I did not see a child at all but then I did see a beautiful little girl. I was torn. I hurt more now than I did when I was running and hiding and trying to save her. I spoke to Patricia as if I had failed her.
"But, I wanted to save you...to keep you from becoming one of us..and yet you already were." I dropped my head and dry sobbed. I felt JOseph's hand upon my shoulder and his whispers attempting to comfort me.
She spoke..."YOu cannot save the world, Betty. The world is dying and we shall be the reapers. Let's find them...the cruel...and feast to our heart's content."
I looked at her again and saw the child. I saw the beautiful brown haired angel who with dirty dress was brought to me by Casper. I felt her tiny hands clutch to my chest inside my coffin. I felt her little sighs as the sun began to rise. I missed my babies more now that I had in such a long time....decades.
"Patricia, can I ask one more thing from you?"
Patricia smiled and laughed. "sure, what is it?"
"Would you call me mommy?"
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